New Downbeat

🎓 🎉Congratulations to our most recent college graduates (Class of 2025-2026)! Please take a moment with us to congratulate Julianna Eidle, Amelia Korbitz, Sarah Minneman, and Kathleen Moran on their incredible accomplishments! #newdownbeat #excellence #MM #DMA #classof2026 #doctorofmusic #masterofmusic #graduate #graduation #breakingtheglassceiling #flute #violin #oboe #bassoon #cincinnati #ohio

Meet all of the living composers featured on our FREE season finale: New Downbeat Plugged In on Sunday, May 24 at 6:30 pm @northsidetav as part of the North by Northside Festival @nxnsfest ! ⚡Judith Shatin (b. 1949), the 2026 Honorary Member of the Society of American Music for her contributions to American Music, is renowned for her richly imagined music that seamlessly spans acoustic and digital realms. Photo by Sarah Cramer Shields. @judithshatin ⚡Christian Glascock (b. 2000) is a flutist and composer. As a versatile and forward-looking artist, Christian strives to create music that resonates emotionally while remaining accessible, uniting acoustic tradition with electronic innovation. @christiangflute ⚡Marc Mellits (b.1966) is one of the leading American composers of his generation, enjoying hundreds of performances throughout the world every year, making him one of the most performed living composers in the United States. @marcmellits ⚡Alex Turley (b. 1995) works frequently with all of Australia's major orchestras and has collaborated with a diverse group of artists including Banks, Ben Folds, and more. Photo by Rachael Michelle. @alexturley ⚡Felipe Tovar-Henao (b.1991)is a US-based multimedia artist, developer, and researcher whose work explores computer algorithms as expressive tools for human and post-human creativity, cognition, and pedagogy. ⚡Tyler Song (b. 1998) is a Chinese-Canadian clarinetist named one of CBC Radio's 2020 "30 Canadian classical musicians under 30". Tyler's belief that music needs to resonate with a broader audience led him to found performing arts organization Soirée in 2024. @tylersong ⚡Kyle Lamb (b. 1992) is a performer, educator, and creator who grew up in Worthington, Ohio where he was fortunate enough to attend a school with a strong music program. He now produces educational orchestra concerts for children and explores the intersection of various arts as a composer and performer. @kylealamb #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio

New Downbeat Plugged In will explore the relationship between classical music and modern technology, providing a truly electrifying concert experience! We hope you'll come with curious ears on Sunday May 24 at 6:30 pm @northsidetav 👂 FREE Admission as part of the North by Northside Festival @nxnsfest #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio #electroacousticmusic #electronicmusic

Happy #MusicMonday! 🎹 Please enjoy our last Season 6 Premiere, "From Fog Take Form" by Julien Monick. Valentina Arango Sánchez, Flute Catelyn Hawkins, Alto Saxophone Caroline Sackleh, Bassoon Chava Appiah, Cello Anna Dunlap, Harp Catherine Fields, Piano Program Note: From Fog Take Form takes a path through three sections, becoming more active and joyous as it progresses. The first part of the path is soft, slow, and somewhat eerie with points of aggression building to the next path. The core of the second section is a lyrical melody I have been humming to myself for years now. I would sing this at points of bliss and as a tool to focus and recenter myself. From Fog Take Form started with this melody finally taking a fixed form on paper and I view this center section as the backbone of the work. The third and final section takes figurations from the first movement of a solo piano piece of mine (Star Path, Flow) that by this time has not been completed. These figuration patterns have been swimming in my head for years now too and I always enjoy finding more opportunities to take them out to play with newer ideas. Composing this piece took a similar journey, its final shape never being clear to me until near the end of its completion. From the fog of lingering ideas, I'm always content when a new piece takes form. Premiered on May 25, 2025 #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #cincinnati #music #gendermarginalizedmusicians

💐Happy Mother's Day! #mothersday #mothersday2026 #newdownbeat #musician #cincinnati

Curious what it sounds like when electronics and acoustic instruments meet? Join us at New Downbeat Plugged In on Sunday, May 24 at 6:30 pm @northsidetav to find out! ⚡️ Plus, Plugged In will feature two electroacoustic world premieres by composer & clarinetist Tyler Song and ND composer-in-residence Kyle Lamb. FREE Admission as part of the North by Northside Festival @nxnsfest #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio #electroacousticmusic #electronicmusic

Happy #MusicMonday! 🧶🎻 Check out “Slip Slip Knit” by Lila Meretzky Molly Rains, Violin Muning Wang, Viola Program Note: In January a crafty friend of mine took me to a knitting store and outfitted me with yarn, needles, and a pattern. Around that time, I had started to work on this violin/viola duo for Molly and Muning. In learning to knit I experienced slow growth through repetition, watched slight variations in patterns produce surprising results, and felt a lot of mental relief from looking at screens less. There are a few musical "stitches" in this piece that interlock and build, as well as some abstract flights of fancy. Thanks to Molly and Muning for their insights! Premiered on May 25, 2025 #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposerseries #cincinnati #music #gendermarginalizedmusicians #duo #violin #viola

We're so excited to be participating in North by Northside (@nxnsfest ), a free music festival in Cincinnati's beloved Northside neighborhood happening MAY 23 & 24! We'll be making a return to the Northside Tavern back room stage to perform our electroacoustic program: New Downbeat Plugged In, on Sunday, May 24 at 6:30 pm! Come celebrate the end of our 7th season and make a weekend out of it by checking out the full NXNS lineup at nxnsfest.com! @northsidetav #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio

Mark your calendars for our season finale: New Downbeat Plugged In!🔌 Join us on Sunday, May 24 at 6:30 pm @northsidetav for an all electroacoustic chamber music program featuring works exclusively by living composers and two world premieres! FREE admission as part of the North by Northside Festival @nxnsfest 🤘 #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #internationalwomensday #womenshistorymonth #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio

Happy belated #MusicMonday, or should we say #TunesTuesday?! 🧵🎻 Please enjoy the opening of the first movement of "Heir/loom” by Kyle Lamb I. ... at the spinning wheel Watch the entire 5 movement piece on our YouTube at /@newdownbeat or at the link in our bio! Alexis Shambley, Violin Hannah Hoffman, Cello Hollie Greenwood, Double Bass Program Note: What mark will we leave on the Earth? Sondheim says the only things worth leaving are children and art. Maybe we can take care of ourselves and those we love, and leave a more caring world for the future. In this piece, that care takes the form of a blanket. One that we weave and use and wrap ourselves in as we get older, and ultimately pass down to future generations. Thank you to New Downbeat for commissioning this work; Alexis Shambley, Hannah Hoffman, and Naomi Bennet for their help conceptualizing it; and Alexis Shambley, Hannah Hoffman, and Hollie Greenwod for bringing it to life. Premiered May 25, 2025 #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposerseries #cincinnati #music #gendermarginalizedmusicians #stringtrio

Photos from our residency at Western Illinois University School of Music earlier this week🎵🎓 A huge thank you to New Downbeat members and WIU hosts, Prof. Julianna Eidle and Dr. Andrea Baker for facilitating our time there! Collective members taught private instrumental and composition lessons, presented studio and chamber masterclasses, and premiered a brand new work by New Downbeat composer-in-residence Julien Monick, giving students first-hand insight into preparing and performing new music. Thanks for having us, @wiuschoolofmusic ! #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #gendermarginalizedmusicians #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposers #music #musician #cincinnati #ohio

Happy #MusicMonday! 🎷 Take a listen to “Two Dialogues” by Catherine Fields I. Reminiscence II. Renewal Catelyn Hawkins, Alto Saxophone Catherine Fields, Piano Program Note: The first movement of Two Dialogues, entitled “Reminiscence,” is based on an abandoned sketch from about five years ago, which was originally for solo piano. As an anxious Freshman and novice composer, I felt unable to fashion this idea into a full piece. I wrote in a melodramatic fashion on the sketch, “The process of writing this is like a dense mist over the mind... like I’m trying to make out what’s in front of me through fog, with bad eyes.” When I received this commission from New Downbeat, I thought it a good chance to revisit this sketch and give my younger self the gift of finishing it. As I played through it, I found it saturated with some of my early and formative influences– primarily the piano works of Debussy and Ravel. I tried to retain a similar character, staying true to the intentions of my younger self. That is the first movement. The second movement, “Renewal,” takes up some of the materials of the first movement, fragmented and manipulated, and puts it into the context of my voice in the present day: centered on rhythmic play, open and jazz-inspired harmonies, spontaneity and freedom. This piece is a dialogue with myself, its purpose being an integration of past and present in a personal context; a reminder that as we pass through our different iterations, the essence of who we are is unchanging. Premiered on May 25, 2025 #newdownbeat #livemusic #newmusic #cincinnatimusic #womeninmusic #worldpremiere #chambermusic #livingcomposerseries #cincinnati #music #gendermarginalizedmusicians #altosax #piano