My colleague Louis Harris at Third Coast Review has written a lengthy profile of Chicago composer Stacy Garrop, whose music he loves. Garrop is one of many excellent contemporary composers who call Chicago home.
Interestingly, when she listens to music, it’s not usually classical. “One of my approaches to that is I do listen to a lot of pop and rock and folk music. Because they’re all short. Form, tension, and relaxation are the most important parameters to me as a composer. If I’m listening to a pop song, I can easily hold on to the form and I can analyze the shape and the chords. It’s easy for me to follow. If I were to do that with the symphony, that would take up way too much headspace.” In addition to pop, rock, and folk music, she admits to enjoying K-pop, especially the visual performance of it.
An excerpt from Garrop’s oratorio Terra Nostra
Leave a Reply