My Programming Philosophy

For me choosing repertoire to perform is as essential as creating a culinary experience that even the most discriminating bon vivant will find delectable. Imagine a chef who ignores her specialties or what is in season or which dishes complement each other! An excellent recital program provides a variety of engaging sounds in the same way that an exquisite meal offers an assortment of tantalizing flavors. At the same time, if the sounds are too disparate, it can be confusing to the ear and unappetizing for the palette.

Before I decide on any recital program, I think of the program as a whole. I usually spend weeks deciding on the repertoire and I often make changes during my preparations. I love creating “sets” of seemingly unrelated compositions that upon careful study actually have some intriguing similarities (timbres, rhythmic elements, or nuances). If audience members enthusiastically describe different favorites at the end of a recital, I consider that to be a success.

Too often, I hear standard programs that include the single contemporary piece (which sometimes feels out of place) or a new music concert that sounds like multiple ideas thrown together. For The Preludes Project, I presented 32 full-length recitals combining new music with standard repertoire (preludes by Bach, Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff) with the aspirations of creating that “perfect” recital program (adaptable for different performance situations).

Programming New Music

Too often, I hear a new music concert that sounds like multiple ideas were thrown together in the rush to present a premiere. As I described how I design the Perfect Recital Program (Link to standard programming here), my main objective in creating a program is having an exhilarating sonic event. In the standard program section, I compare this to a culinary experience (another passion!). Every piece should be enhanced by the preceding work and by the composition that follows it.

Of course, I love giving world premieres! What I love more, however, is performing a new composition multiple times. The only way to really know a piece is to perform it in a variety of venues, on different pianos, for diverse audiences, and partnered with various other compositions. If an artistic moment means having a meaningful and memorable connection between performer and audience through the language of a composer, how can this be achieved by performing a piece just once?

To read more about my relationships with composers, please go to my Projects Pages where I describe my artistic process with new music in more depth. For the 2021-2022 season, I will be performing solo works by Stephanie Ann Boyd, David Rakowski, James Mobberley, Augusta Read Thomas, Mark Mellits, Joan Tower, Lowell Liebermann, Aaron Alter, Rasa Daukus, J.M. Gerraughty, Anthony J. Lanman, and Kirk O’Riordan. Maybe that is not all!

Because there is so much wonderful music being written, my new music programs are rather fluid. Most of the time, I would rather perform 10 short pieces by 10 composers than 1 long piece by 1 composer, but there are exceptions to everything. Again, I never want to lose sight of how the program sounds as a whole.

Here are some of my favorite programs from the past few years. If you are interested in including a specially designed program for your community, college, university, or music festival, I would be delighted to chat with you! Please contact me via email here.

Sample Programs