How to ruin a piano

Composer/pianist Sarah Gibson shows us her bag of tricks, plays the melodica, and tells us why she composed a piano piece for just the left hand. Then, we discuss how different concert venues affect our concert-going experience. Playlist Here is a Spotify playlist to pair with Underscore episode #B2! Co-hosts Chrysanthe and Thomas collaborated with our guest Sarah Gibson to curate these tracks based on the conversations, recs, and vibes of this episode. Guest Composer/pianist Sarah Gibson shows us her bag of tricks, plays the melodica, and tells us why she composed a piano piece for just the left hand. Sure Baby, Manana by Sarah Gibson and it's spring when the world is puddle-wonderful; Concerto for Left-hand piano by Sarah Gibson Outsider by Sarah Gibson, performed by HOCKET ensemble Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major by Maurice Ravel (iTunes / Spotify) John Cage Prepared Piano app Find Sarah Gibson online: Website Twitter HOCKET Lightning Round Questions What genre is your music? Modern collaborative classical Performance ritual? Listening to Yo-Yo Ma playing the Bach solo cello suites, drinking a Coke, and listening to playlist in the car. A modern/technological tool that’s extremely helpful to your practice? iPad + bluetooth pedal; all Sarah’s music is stored digitally, and there are no more awkward page turns! What failure that turned out for the best? Her phone alarm went off during a show. Luckily, it was in the exact right key and added a nice flavor to the piece. Something besides music that you’re obsessed with right now? Her dog and cooking. (Not together.) A piece of art that changed your life? Ceiling of the Paris Opera House, painted by Marc Chagall Counterpoint How do different concert venues affect the concert-going experience? Something Old J Dilla's instrumental hip hop album Donuts (iTunes / Spotify / Music video), especially the song "Lightworks." Something New Los Angeles Philharmonic's newly-announced 2018-2019 concert season, which features 54 new music commissions, 22 women composers, and 27 composers of color. Article by Brian Lauritzen on the KUSC blog. Something BorrowedFor All I Care album by The Bad Plus (iTunes / Spotify), especially the song "Semi-Simple Variations." Something Blue Blue Planet II (Original Television Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer (iTunes / Spotify) Credits Hosts: Thomas Kotcheff and Chrysanthe Tan Guest: Sarah Gibson Script: Chrysanthe Tan Recording engineer/editor: Mark Hatwan Produced by USC Radio Group ConnectFacebook group: Join our Facebook group, Underscore Society, to nerd out on music, tell us your favorite songs, and debate our Counterpoints! Email list: Sign up for our mailing list to receive Underscore updates, offers, and opportunities to connect with other music aficionados. Socials: We’re @underscorefm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Email: Thoughts, questions, suggestions? We’re at [email protected] Thomas is @thomaskotcheff on Twitter and Instagram. Chrysanthe is @chrysanthetan on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.