photo: Julia Comita

SPOTLIGHT 33: FOLIAS DUO / ASHLEY JACKSON / TAILLEFERRE ENSEMBLE

textura is excited and honoured to feature Folias Duo, Ashley Jackson, and Tailleferre Ensemble in its thirty-third ‘Spotlight,' with each artist represented by a superb, recently issued album: Heartdance (Folias Duo), Ennanga (Ashley Jackson), and There are Things to be Said (Tailleferre Ensemble). textura is deeply grateful to the artists for contributing to the article.

photo: Folias Duo

FOLIAS DUO

Who: Folias Duo (Andrew Bergeron and Carmen Maret) is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our story began in the fall of 2002 at Michigan State University where Andrew and I met as graduate students. Our first meeting was very quiet. We sat together on my futon and listened to Andrew's compositions. Afterward, we played the tango charts I'd brought with me from my years of learning to play and dance the tango in Kansas City, where I did my undergraduate studies.As we formed our duo, the process was organic from the beginning; our rehearsals just seemed to work. In our first few years, we had a reciprocal process. We played Andrew's compositions and songs, learning to adapt them for flute and guitar, and we also played the tango music I wanted to perform for dancers.

Only a few weeks after we met, we landed a gig at a Cuban restaurant in Lansing. Suddenly, we had a reason to keep playing and developing new music every week. Michigan State University was also a welcoming place for new music. We challenged ourselves to learn and perform newly written pieces for graduate composition recitals. We had a lot to chew on back then, but it taught us a lot about imagining what was possible for our instruments.The flute and guitar combination is an untapped genre, unlike the string quartet genre, which has volumes of published music. The possibilities for our duo combination are vast and unexplored, which excites us.

In the summer of 2003, we embarked on our first performance tour in the West. We played in small halls, libraries, and churches, camping all the way to Oregon and back. Now, some twenty years later, many want to know how we still manage to book our own tours, write all the music, and camp along the way without killing each other! We both appreciate being outside and enjoy the challenge of not taking things like temperature-controlled environments, a consistent power source, independent transportation, relative safety, and health for granted. Consciously placing ourselves every night in a tent on the ground in unfamiliar environments helps us see things about ourselves that we wouldn't see in ordinary (truly privileged) day-to-day reality. Laying our heads on the ground is a gold mine for creativity! It also makes us nicer and more understanding humans.

Eventually, our touring goals became loftier, and we booked tours in Europe, Argentina, and Chile. Our ultimate tour was probably the road trip we took in 2011 when we drove from Michigan to Fairbanks, Alaska, and played concerts all the way through the US and Canada. That's some crazy mileage. We just laugh now when people ask how we can stand to drive all the way through Nebraska!

Current Project: For three years, we've had the idea for an album called Heartdance since Andrew wrote a set of pieces based on the life cycle of the dragonfly. Upon our first listen to the MIDI realization of the Dragonfly pieces, we both knew that they were special, music that would be both appealing and beautiful for an audience to listen to, but also very engaging and challenging for us as players. The four movements, “Aquatic," “Molting,” "Flying," and "Heartdance," are compositions that will age well. We know we can perform, study, and grow with them for years to come, making them a set of dream pieces for classical musicians.The other compositions on the "Heartdance" album were developed during the forty-plus live streams we've presented since the pandemic. For two years, we had an urgent deadline to write and present our own music twice a month, an unexpected gift for us as composer performers.

Our music is an anomaly. We don't play the classics of European music, but we love to combine techniques of tonal and atonal music theory, as I do in my piece "Meadow Dream," which was inspired by the music of pianist and composer Alexander Scriabin. We aren't folk musicians; however, most of our music is inspired in some way by folkloric music, an example my piece "Looking Glass,"which is inspired by Argentine music, or the two African flute (tambin) pieces, "Dance of the Foxes" and "Forgotten Peach Blossoms," which were adventurous undertakings by Andrew, his first compositions for this unique three-holed flute from Guinea. It would be a stretch to call us jazz musicians, but we venture into descriptive, improvisatory music in an odd meter (7/8) in "Nighthawk," a piece we wrote together about an experience we had with a pair of, yes, nighthawks.

We recorded the Heartdance album at Sono Luminus Studios in Boyce, Virginia, with two other collaborators: producer Dan Merceruio and engineer Daniel Shores. We recorded our previous two Folias Music releases (Dreaming to Live and Delicate Omens) with Merceruio and Shores, and we're so grateful as independent artists to have a team we can trust with our music. I would call Daniel and Dan a "ninja team," probably one of the best for classical recording. Their immersive audio/production work with the Iceland Symphony and Icelandic composers is some of the most inspiring and innovative stuff out there for "classical" music right now.

Philosophy, Reflection, Inspiration: We're excited about the combination of performer and composer, which is a natural fit for the history of European classical music. Household names in classical music such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn were performer-composers and improvisers. Our vision is to bring this format back as a standard feature of classical concert music. This is what we mean by "breathing new life into classical music.” In addition, we are involved in many other business and publishing endeavors. We operate completely independently, booking our own performances, running our own label and publishing company called Folias Music, and maintaining all our branding through social media and our website.

Favourite artists and strongest influences: (Carmen) Currently, I'm really into the jazz musician and composer Shabaka Hutchings. He leads several different bands, but I'm especially fond of his band Shabaka and the Ancestors. In my opinion, he is a global leader in expressing and combining African experience and history with improvisation, jazz, and popular music.I also enjoy following his daily video posts on Instagram. He plays a variety of wood and reed flutes in different settings, expressing various melodies and improvisations. His voice is authentic, and I appreciate getting a sense of his soul and values through the settings he posts in, whether they be in nature or urban environments.

(Andrew) In my opinion, Yamandu Costa is the best solo guitarist. He seamlessly combines elements of folk, classical music, and virtuosity. Although he's not a household name like Segovia, he's the guitarist I admire the most. Every time I watch him play, I can't help but say "wow!"

photo: Folias Duo

Recordings that have deeply affected me: (Carmen) Pat Metheny's Still Life Talking is probably the most influential album for me both as a person and as a musician. I wore out the tape and later the CD, and now I have it on vinyl. It was released when I was in middle school, and I remember thinking that I had never heard anything like it before. The album served as background music for family trips, and I even had it in my CD alarm player in high school. I wanted to be part of the energy on the album.The combination of styles on the album, with acoustic and synthesized sounds that I couldn't really define, made it unique. The way the songs slowly built and the energy in Pat Metheny's and Lyle Mays' solos was also incredible to me.

(Andrew) Promises by Floating Points, featuring Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra, is a great example of blending classical music with other genres. The combination of jazz, electronica, and classical music creates a meditative and exploratory mood that is very cool. The album also features one of the greatest improvisers, Pharoah Sanders, towards the end of his life .I believe that this kind of collaboration is what will propel music forward in the 21st century toward new, authentic sounds. Improvisation within a classical music context is often underutilized and underexplored, but it is something that Folias Duo has been doing from the beginning. This album gave me ideas to work on for years to come.

A memorable event, concert, or experience: (Carmen) In 2020, I watched Yefim Bronfman's live-stream performance for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo. I've always been astounded by the depth of his understanding and commitment to internalizing music, but this time I was floored by an interview question after the performance. He was asked something like, "How does it feel to have accomplished everything you've done?" Bronfman, without a smile, simply said, "I don't think I've accomplished very much," with a long, uncomfortable pause. He continued, "You've got to understand, my standards keep going up.” This moment changed my life! To hear such a deep artist redirect the praise, live and uncut, was so refreshing and inspiring. After that, my purpose as a musician and my ability to believe in the process of improving my skills went into a new focus.

(Andrew) In 2003, Carmen and I had the opportunity to see Pierre Boulez conduct the Chicago Symphony for the first time. The concert began with a performance of György Ligeti's piano concerto, with Pierre-Laurent Aimard as the soloist. The precision and exactness with which they performed such complex music left a lasting impression on me. Though my music is not similar to Ligeti's, that experience inspired me to strive for the highest level of clarity in my writing and playing.

Website: FOLIAS DUO

photo: Julia Comita

ASHLEY JACKSON

Who: I was born and raised in New Jersey. I'm now based in New York City and Baton Rouge, Los Angeles. I hold undergraduate and graduate degrees from Yale College and the Yale School of Music, as well as a Doctorate of Music degree from the Juilliard School.

Growing up, I couldn't get enough of music. From the age of five until high school, I studied both piano and violin, in addition to harp, which became my primary instrument going into college. Throughout my freelance career, I played in all sorts of ensembles, constantly looking for new musical spaces. As an orchestral musician, I've sat in with the NY Philharmonic and on Broadway, but I've also played during NY Fashion Week and performed solo at ‘Celebrate Brooklyn'! I'm currently a member of the Harlem Chamber Players, and hold a full-time teaching position at Hunter College, as an Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Music Department.

What: I create musical moments that draw from my diverse upbringing: from Saturday morning lessons at the conservatory to Sunday mornings spent in the Black church, and all of the soul, R&B, and jazz that filled my parents' radio stations during the week. As a performer, I enjoy playing in those different spaces, so audiences can think more about the connections between different styles of music.

Currently: My debut album (recently released by Bright Shiny Things) Ennanga examines African American spirituals and their influence on American musical expression. I'm also working on the next album, Take Me to the Water, which investigates the many different representations of water across different cultures and religions.

Musical philosophy: Music has the power to remind us of our common humanity. We all laugh, we all love, we all feel joy. The music I perform or arrange comes from diverse voices, so that we are reminded of these commonalities, while celebrating our beautiful differences.

Favourite artists and strongest influences: James Brown remains one of the most influential pop artists of the 20th century. He was always ahead of his time yet remained relevant to whatever was going on in American history. His distinct sound, stage presence, and work ethic continue to influence me today.

Pianist and composer Margaret Bonds believed in who she was and was proud to celebrate her African American heritage in her music. Her unwavering commitment to featuring the words of Black writers and drawing from spirituals and other Black folk genres, at a time when African Americans were thought of as less than, inspires me to carry on that legacy.

photo: Danielle Schwob Baranova

Recordings that have deeply affected me: I played Ann Hobson Pilot's recording of the Ginastera concerto on repeat, years before I performed it. There's such an immediacy to her sound that engages you right away. You don't have to search for the musicality, and that's something I've strived for in my own playing ever since.

Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits album was one of the first CDs I owned. I can't say enough about her musical range, which seems to hold the totality of human experience. She sings one note, and we are right there with her. Whatever she's singing about, we feel it, and we trust her to take us there.

A memorable event, concert, or experience: As a young kid, I couldn't know this at the time, but seeing Ann Hobson Pilot perform the Debussy Danses with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall sent me a powerful message: Here was a woman at the top of her game, and not only that, but she also looked like me. The road might not be easy, but if I worked hard, my dreams could become a reality. For that experience, I remain forever grateful.

Website: ASHLEY JACKSON

photo: Tailleferre Ensemble

TAILLEFERRE ENSEMBLE

Who: We are the Tailleferre Ensemble, a chamber music collective based in London dedicated to promoting women in music. Our players are all graduates from the London Conservatoires—Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall, and Trinity College. The group was co-founded in 2019 by Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith, both oboists, and has since grown to incorporate a wide variety of female musicians from across London and the South of the UK. As individuals all our members have impressive biographies, and as a group are praised for their "high standards of performance" (Rhian Samuel) and "fine sense of ensemble" (BBC Music Magazine).

What: We are a group dedicated to raising the profile of women in music, both instrumentalists and composers. We focus on programming and performing concerts that are varied and feature works by lesser-known composers from throughout history, including many contemporary ones. Our repertoire extends from Baroque works by Hoffmann to contemporary music written specifically for us such as Rhian Samuel's Little Duos. Although we occasionally play the music of more established composers, as a rule we enjoy exploring chamber music that has been neglected or is new. Through this work we have formed relationships with several contemporary composers, some of whom have dedicated work to the ensemble, including Samuel, Cecilia McDowall, Bill Douglas, Sally Wave, Jenni Brandon, and Ingrid Stölzel. We absolutely love having this communication with living composers, as it allows us to discuss approaches to new works, develop our performance with guidance from composers, and also help spread the creativity of individuals working in chamber music.

In a single programme, our repertoire ranges from a woodwind sextet to works for a solo instrument, and everything in between. In each performance we like to mix up the instrumentation to provide the audience with a large and varied sound world. By varying our repertoire and instrumentation in this way, we offer our audiences the rare opportunity to experience a wide variety of styles and timbres within a single concert.

Currently: In February 2023 we released our first album There Are Things to be Said, which has been welcomed with great positivity by reviewers. The album is named after the work of the same name by Ingrid Stölzel, as we thought as well as being a beautiful piece of music, that this title encapsulated well what it is we are trying to achieve as a group.

This album as a whole demonstrates the work of the ensemble. It includes pieces for various instrumentations, group size, and from different periods in time. We showcase the première recording of Sonate Champêtre by our namesake, Germaine Tailleferre, as well as Little Duos for oboe and cor anglais, dedicated to our group's founders Nicola Hands and Penelope Smith by Rhian Samuel. As well as incorporating works by living composers—Ingrid Stolzel, Rhian Samuel, Bill Douglas, Jenni Brandon and Cecilia McDowall—the album also showcases music from the Baroque period by Melchior Hoffmann, and the 20th Century by Julius Röntgen and Tailleferre, of course.

Our next project is in July: we will be returning to the Nottingham Chamber Music Festival to play a coffee morning concert on the Saturday of the festival. We'll be playing some works from the album, as well as a trio by Ethel Smyth, a piece for solo oboe d'amore written by Samuel during the Coronavirus lockdown, and the flute sonatina by Eldin Burton. The festival is really friendly and welcoming, and we are thoroughly looking forward to performing there again this summer.

Musical philosophy: We favour music that has something to say, but also as a predominately wind group, music that has been composed considering the capabilities and characteristics of each instrument, and the way they blend together and play off against each other. We are always looking for unusual or different combinations of instruments, such as two oboes and piano, or flute and bassoon.

We recognise that for a variety of political and other reasons, many composers of the past and present are not heard as widely as their music deserves. We are dedicated to unearthing their too-rarely-heard works and bringing this high quality music to the concert platform. One example is our namesake Germaine Tailleferre who, despite being a member of the prominent group of composers Les Six, has been undeservedly neglected until recent years.

photo: Tailleferre Ensemble

Favourite artists and strongest influences: We walk in the footsteps of great chamber collectives who have come before us, including the Nash Ensemble, Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective, and Manchester Collective. Their ability to produce performances of the highest quality whilst following the collective model has inspired us to pursue this approach, as we can fully embrace our commitment to variety in both the composers we perform and the instrumentation we offer.We are of course strongly influenced by certain composer characters throughout history, such as Ethel Smyth, Germaine Tailleferre, Clara Schumann and Rebecca Clarke, all of who pursued their musical goals despite social pressures against them.

Recordings that have deeply affected us: We were deeply moved by the intensely evocative There are Things to be Said when we first heard it. We knew straight away that we wanted to perform and record this beautiful piece, and of course it then became the inspiration for the title of our debut album.

A memorable event, concert, or experience: In April 2023 we got to perform a programme of music by Les Six at Conway Hall, London. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to set Tailleferre's music in context with a programme entirely comprised of works composed by her friends and colleagues. The programme included everything from solo piano (by Honnegger) to wind sextet (Poulenc), and it was wonderful to show the full range of our ensemble to an enthusiastic and interested audience. The music, particularly the quartet by Milhaud, was extremely physically demanding, and pushed us to our limits. We had some nervous energy before going on stage, but the concert went really well, and we were so proud to have delivered this complex and beautiful programme to an appreciative audience. It was a wonderful event, not just because we got to perform this fantastic programme, some of which is really under-performed, but also because the solidarity we felt as the group rallied around to support each other really made us feel what a wonderful ensemble of musicians this is.

Another performance worth a mention was our first performance after lockdown. It was for a lovely little outdoor festival in the Sussex countryside. After having only been able to record performances at home with no audience for so long it was quite overwhelming to be performing for an appreciative audience in the open air.

Website: TAILLEFERRE ENSEMBLE

July 2023