Reflections on Music and Nature

Lei Liang: "Great Learning" and Opening the Inner Eyes (composer)

In Chinese, the word for university (大学) translates literally as "Great Learning." For composer Lei Liang (prof. at UC San Diego), composing at a university means one has the ability to collaborate with and learn from other scholars in vastly different disciplines. The work of Huang Binhong (1865-1955) served as the inspiration for Lei's orchestral work, "A thousand mountains, a million streams." Binhong, having lost his sight later in life, demonstrates how a "handicap" can ultimately become a superpower leading to greater creativity. We also talk about the cicadas of his childhood in Beijing, the role of titles for composers/audiences, and how technology can actually deepen our listening practice, among many other topics. Lei also cautions against the dangers of "jumping on the bandwagon" of trendy labels and political expediency. Want to promote these conversations? Rate the podcast, leave a review, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the YouTube comments where you can watch video :) YouTube: https://youtu.be/fOs8DgtRzLc [https://youtu.be/fOs8DgtRzLc] Lei Liang: https://sites.google.com/site/leiliangcomposer2/ [https://sites.google.com/site/leiliangcomposer2/] Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP): https://youtu.be/sj3JxTtNsjs?si=kuE9Uesc02imnVNY [https://youtu.be/sj3JxTtNsjs?si=kuE9Uesc02imnVNY] Lei Lab: https://lei-lab.ucsd.edu/ [https://lei-lab.ucsd.edu/]

Alli Ross & Alyssa Schmidt: Thinking Beyond Product (dance / dramaturgy)

How can we collaborate with the environment around us as theater-makers? What is the relationship between "process" and "product"? How can we see beyond the goal of a project to understand and honor its surprising reverberations outside the so-called "actual project"? Dramaturg Allyssa Schmidt and movement artist Alli Ross, both professors at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, help me ask and answer these questions on and off mic. They not only talk about their ideas, but implement them in the way they teach and make art… AND in the way they do an interview for a podcast: Outdoors, by a pond, welcoming the water sounds, wind, hikers, and helicopters overhead. Want to support these conversations? Give the podcast a rating and a comment, let us know your own thoughts and what you think :) Available on YouTube (video) [https://youtu.be/Dq-zObLOMTA], Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Alyssa Schmidt: https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/directory/alyssa-schmidt [https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/directory/alyssa-schmidt] Alli Ross: https://www.alliross.com/ [https://www.alliross.com/] Coastal Climate for Change at Berklee / BOCO: https://college.berklee.edu/faculty-development/events/coastal-climate-for-change-summit [https://college.berklee.edu/faculty-development/events/coastal-climate-for-change-summit] Climate Change Theater Action: https://www.climatechangetheatreaction.com/ [https://www.climatechangetheatreaction.com/] Superhero Clubhouse: http://www.superheroclubhouse.org/ [http://www.superheroclubhouse.org/] Climate Ready Boston: https://www.boston.gov/environment-and-energy/climate-ready-boston [https://www.boston.gov/environment-and-energy/climate-ready-boston]

Peter London: Nature is Our Teacher (visual artist)

Visual artist Peter London grew up in Brooklyn NY, which perhaps makes him a city kid. But for his entire life, he has been obsessed with escaping the limitations of cities and human perception, seeking insights not from other humans, but from the natural world. He sees the cosmos as the ultimate teacher for all of us. In our conversation, we discuss a wide range of topics, from how one's artistic process can imitate the cosmos, to his involvement with civil rights in the 1960's, to the fascinating intersection of his work as an artist, teacher, and art therapist. We also discuss his collaborations with musicians and why he sees music as the most emotional of the arts. This is the FIRST episode recorded face-to-face; you can see video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXJjWPNCl6e_ujBOxUniEAA [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXJjWPNCl6e_ujBOxUniEAA]

Newtown Odyssey: The Beauty and Ugliness of a Polluted Creek (floating opera)

feat. Kurt Rohde (musician/composer), Dana Spiotta (writer), and Marie Lorenz (artist) Why write a normal opera when you can write one for an outdoor performance on top of a polluted urban creek? Is it simple? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely. The creators of Newtown Odyssey, an actual floating opera, ask us to get our shoes a little dirty, let birds and machinery join the opera, and appreciate the horror and beauty of rainbow patterns of oil on the creek's surface. They speak about the joys and challenges of collaborating with each other and their literal surroundings on unconventional work, and how they hope to help the efforts of the Newtown Creek Alliance. THIS OPERA PREMIERES ON SEP 8-10 NEAR BROOKLYN, NY. LINKS: Newtown Odyssey website: https://www.newtownodyssey.com/ [https://www.newtownodyssey.com/] Newtown Odyssey YouTube channel: / @newtownodyssey4642 [https://www.youtube.com/@newtownodyssey4642] Kurt Rohde (composer / musician): https://www.kurtrohde.com/ [https://www.kurtrohde.com/] Dana Spiotta (writer): https://danaspiotta.com/ [https://danaspiotta.com/] Marie Lorenz (artist): http://www.marielorenz.com/ [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGhFWllNcW5DZGpSTF9XU3hNbkxmcEJNa1hIUXxBQ3Jtc0tsd2dFSEpEOUVwcmFMUDNoc0pybFM1MC1sNDJ5ZWZlUkZfQlJzeHBhN2UyTko3YkNjUFFVdTg1Q0ZScFpZWHc4YWZMdThHVU9sRmdXdGdTVVEtSkZCX1hEVUlmeVB1Tkhta1lPTnFNNTJQeUNaWm9RNA&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marielorenz.com%2F&v=FuBYZTlAHHQ]

Season 2 Trailer

What's to come in Season 2 of RMN: www.ryansuleiman.com/rmn [http://www.ryansuleiman.com/rmn] * Newtown Odyssey [https://www.newtownodyssey.com/] opera * Kurt Rohde [https://www.kurtrohde.com], composer/musician * Dana Spiotta [https://danaspiotta.com], writer * Marie Lorenz [http://www.marielorenz.com], artist * Lei Liang [https://sites.google.com/site/leiliangcomposer2/], composer * Chromic Duo [https://www.chromic.space/] (Lucy Yao, Dorothy Chan) * Alyssa Schmidt [https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/directory/alyssa-schmidt] (dramaturgy) & Alli Ross [https://www.alliross.com/] (movement) * Peter London [https://www.blogger.com/profile/05812953287634863973], visual artist