Episode 32: Monica Pearce

Monica Pearce, currently based in Toronto, is a composer and the co-founder of the Toy Piano Composers, an emerging composers collective. She also serves as Executive Director of The Music Gallery, Toronto’s Center for Creative Music. We discussed some of her latest chamber music and her work with opera, writing for the toy piano, gender issues in music, and her work as an arts administrator.

Here's a link to the full recording of her new percussion quartet, chain maille. This is the premiere performance by the Sam Houston Percussion Group at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. 

Premiered October 29, 2015 at Sam Houston University, Texas Sam Houston Percussion Group: Casey Garcia Joel Garza Hannah Talton Kin Lam Lam chain maille (otherwise known as mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a protective mesh. With an exclusively metal timbral palette, this percussion quartet explores the concept of chain maille from several entry points – using the mesh pattern as fodder for musical material, examining associations of its medieval history, and most directly, using a chain maille hood as a percussion instrument. chain maille also investigates the idea of armour – the heavy armour we carry to protect against harm, both physical and emotional. "chain maille" is the first in a set of a multiple-work piece based on the history and associations of various textiles/patterns. In each of these works, the textile or pattern is used both as inspiration (history, tone, physical characteristics) and as a physically present element, either visually or sonically. "chain maille" was written for the Sam Houston Percussion Group under the direction of John Lane.

Here's another terrific chamber work, In the forest, glow:

In the forest, glow. is based on the illustration Don't Feed the Deer by Brandon James Scott, a Toronto-based artist and also a good friend of mine. His works have a decidedly playful feel to them, especially in his work with animation and illustration.