Platitude Music Podcast

Composer and songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone discusses "Quiet Hours", his new album of nocturnes for solo piano composed for nine pianists (including one for himself) and recorded on their "home" pianos. We cover the recurring theme of ghosts, seanaces, and family in his work, writing for a community of artists and learning to keep things engaging, turning your gaze outward as a composer, and realizing you are always going to put a pickle on the sandwich (metaphorically).

Composer Nico Muhly discusses picking and setting texts for choral music for sacred and concert settings ahead of the US premiere of his cantata "The Shadow of the Sun" by Christ Church Cathedral Choir at Carnegie Hall. The conversation winds through Reich, Glass, Taverner, his recent albums with the Tallis Scholars and the Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, the wisdom of Eddie Murphy's RAW, Ghostbusters 2, Richard III, the Big Conversation around the role of text in music, decorating vs. architecture, traveling heavy, and what he likes about music.

Composer and Vocalist Genevieve Vincent joins us for a wide-ranging talk covering her debut solo ambient EP, Soft Sciences, how she gets into the "trance" of writing music, how writing for herself differs from the work she's hired for, and the role gear plays in her process. She asks a question of her own and we ask her to rank three composers in a forced choice question-and-answer game.

Hear Genevieve's new EP "Soft Sciences" now on bandcamp or streaming.