This Sunday Hear works by @bobak____ , @savannahjolack , @jeff.bernstein , and Joan Huang. A little about the composers: Bobak Lotfipour is a composer and performance artist whose work bridges experimental percussion, electronics, and orchestral writing. After launching his career assisting Daniel Hart on The Exorcist, he went on to contribute music to films and TV series' like A Ghost Story and The Green Knight. Known for his handmade, percussive sound world using unconventional objects, Bobak continues to expand into larger scale orchestral work while also creating ambient and meditative solo music. Savannah Jo Lack began her career as an orchestral violinist before shifting toward and composition. After earning a master’s degree in film composition from University of Southern California, she was selected for the prestigious Sundance Composer Lab in 2022. Her recent work includes feature films, documentaries, and series such as Chef’s Table. Savannah’s music blends cinematic lyricism with bold textures drawn from her background as a performer and soloist. Joan Huang grew up in Shanghai and received her earliest musical training from her parents, later learning folk music while working on a farm during China’s Cultural Revolution. She went on to make history as the first woman to earn a master’s degree in composition from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music before continuing her studies and earning a doctorate at University of California Los Angeles. Joan’s work is known for fusing Chinese traditional musical language with Western contemporary techniques, and her music has been commissioned and performed internationally. Jeffrey Bernstein grew up in Vermont, where the natural landscape shaped his musical voice, and he began composing at the age of eight. His formal studies took place at Harvard University with Peter Lieberson and James Yannatos, Yale School of Music, and UCLA. Deeply committed to music as a communal practice, Bernstein has written extensively for young performers through his Waldorf education work and for choirs close to him, including the Occidental Glee Club, Los Angeles Daiku, and Pasadena Chorale, as well as songs for the PBS Kids.

March 1, join us for UNISON, on which we will feature Savannah Jo Lack’s (@savannahjolack ) “Fire in Four Fractures.” “Fire in Four Fractures” by Savannah Jo Lack unfolds as a sequence of “fractures”: ruptures in time, memory, and perception. Lack says the piece “does not portray the fire itself, rather the states it conjures and leaves behind - fear, endurance, mourning, and hope…bound to a landscape that holds memory beyond human time.” Reservation link in bio.

Up Next: Join us for UNISON, An LA Fires Recovery Concert. UNISON is an evening of connection and reflection on the Eaton and Palisades fires on March 1st at the @wendemuseum . Four newly commissioned works will be presented by composers who lost their homes in the fires, offering their contemplations on this experience and creating a space for others to mourn, gather, and contemplate. UNISON features new commissions by Jeffrey Bernstein, Bobak Loftipour, Joan Huang-Kraft, and Savannah Jo Lack. Lyris Quartet, Aron Kallay, and Bobak Lotfipour will perform these new works. Through music, we will build solidarity and connection in the ongoing recovery process. All proceeds will be donated to the LA Fire Relief Fund at MusiCares. Link in bio for reservations and donations.

As The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles continue to affect so many in our community, we want to invite you into a shared space of listening, care, and support. On March 1 at 4:00 pm at the Wende Museum, four newly commissioned works will be presented by composers who lost their homes in the fires, offering their reflections on this experience and creating a space for others to mourn, gather, and contemplate. These composers are: Jeffrey Bernstein Joan Huang Savannah Jo Lack Bobak Lotfipour The works will be performed by the Lyris Quartet, Aron Kallay, and Bobak Lotfipour. This concert is for everyone carrying the weight of this moment, whether you were directly impacted or are holding others in your thoughts. It is an opportunity to gather, to bear witness, and to support artists whose lives and creative work have been profoundly disrupted. Please save the date. We look forward to being together.

huge thanks to all the people who have held us up and pulled us through the last six months.

Now available on LP, and wherever you buy / stream online: Jackie Marshall - Fight 'n Flight (Redux) Vinyl LP: http://bit.ly/3SSDlqm Digital purchase / streaming: https://bit.ly/45XHeSw Links also in bio.. Fight n Flight, the debut album from Jackie Marshall, is a powerful exploration of resilience, hope, despair, and self-discovery, underpinned with phenomenal musicianship and performances from Marshall and her team of collaborators. This album captures the recognisable essence of life’s challenges and triumphs, with each track an extended metaphor for Jackie’s personal journey and life experience. Blending elements of indie-folk, soul, and country, Fight n Flight features poignant, deft lyrics paired with beautiful infectious melodies that combine to create a deep resonance with the listener. Marshall’s soulful voice and expression effortlessly conveys raw emotion, whether she’s addressing themes of sanctification, vulnerability, or the complexities of personal and familial relationships. Written by Jackie Marshall @jackiemarshallmusic – lead & backing vocals, nylon-string guitar @cpexperiment – steel-string acoustic guitar, mandolin, backing vocals @bentolliday – cello, electric bass, guitar loopings, backing vocals @savannahjolack – fiddle, b.v. axion too @paulhankinson_ – piano, wurlitzer electric piano, “Pearl” the squeezebox, magic mask @ant.aggs – wurlitzer electric piano @eugeneromaniuk – double bass @ourithacacreek – snare drum Shaun Butcher – banjo Recorded at The Hollow (Pottsville, N.S.W.) & Nairn St (Milton, Qld) Additional recording at the North Carlton Colosseum (Melbourne, Vic) Mixed at Eastern Bloc Studios (Melbourne, Vic) and @mount.echo (Altadena, USA) Produced by Ben Tolliday & Jackie Marshall Recorded & Mixed by Ben Tolliday String Arrangements by Savannah Jo Lack & Ben Tolliday Mastered by @plyman at @infrasonicsound (Nashville, USA) Original Drawings, Design Concept & Layout by Jackie Marshall 2024 Redux Graphic Design & Layout by @meadows.nick

Stardust. Friday March 14th. The Village Studios, 8pm. Join UMA in person or livestream. Percentage of ticket sales goes to Musicares /event-details/stardust

Ionosphere is the 2nd piece on the album that draws inspiration from the Schumann Resonance—a set of electromagnetic frequencies generated by the Earth’s atmosphere. These frequencies, often referred to as the “heartbeat of the Earth,” are thought to influence our brainwaves and foster states of coherence and balance. I had the pleasure of collaborating with LA-based composer and violinist and longtime friend @savannahjolack for this one. Her ability to create deeply emotional and cinematic melodies brought a unique dimension to this track. This track also marked an exciting new exploration for me, serving as the foundation for a collaboration with @iamjonek and @corneliusmar10 Together, we developed a unique vibro-acoustic experience using a specially engineered sound bed and low-frequency compositions, enabling listeners to not only hear the frequencies but also feel them resonate deeply throughout their bodies.

No words for the freaking joy it was to make music with this lady @carinaround . Photo credit..one of my favorite humans and incredible photographer, @myclinicalcompass