Ravinia 2024 Issue 1

and the late iconic SOPHIE. Jlin has since re- mixed works for major artists including Björk, Max Richter, Martin Gore, Marie Davidson, Ben Frost, and others. Inspired by movement, Jlin has also collaborated with legendary cho- reographers Wayne McGregor (2017) and Kyle Abraham (2021). About Little Black Book , Jlin writes: I chose the name Little Black Book because there is a black notebook that I own that I literally write down every creative idea I have in it. It is my book of absolute freedom. The book is very special to me, as it was given to me on my 21st birthday by my eldest cousin. When Kronos ap- proached me about doing this project I was quite ecstatic, and immediately knew I wanted to take this on from a perspective of absolute freedom of sound. I didn’t care how crazy it sounded, I just wanted the instruments and choice of instru- ments to be free. Freedomwas my goal no matter how left-field or unconventional. I love that Kro- nos decided to play this track as they deemed fit versus trying to follow what I did. Jlin’s Little Black Book was commissioned as part of Kronos Fifty for the Future , which is made possible by a group of adventurous partners, in- cluding Carnegie Hall and many others. Launched in the 2015/16 season, Kronos Fifty for the Future is an education and legacy proj- ect that has commissioned—and distributed for free—the first learning library of contemporary repertoire for string quartet. Fifty new works have been commissioned, and scores and parts, as well as supplemental learning materials that include recordings, videos, performance notes, and composer interviews, are available on kro- nosquartet.org . NICOLE LIZÉE (b. 1973) ZonelyHearts Called “a brilliant musical scientist” (CBC), “breathtakingly inventive” ( Sydney Times Jlin (a.k.a. Jerrilynn Patton) Herald , Australia), and lauded for “creating a stir with listeners for her breathless imagination and ability to capture Gen-X and beyond genera- tion” ( Winnipeg Free Press ), award-winning composer and video artist Nicole Lizée creates new music from an eclectic mix of influences including the earliest MTV videos, turntablism, rave culture, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Alexander McQueen, thrash metal, early video game cul- ture, 1960s psychedelia and 1960s modernism. She is fascinated by the glitches made by out- moded and well-worn technology and captures these glitches, notates them, and integrates them into live performance. Lizée’s compositions range from works for orchestra and solo turntablist featuring DJ techniques fully notated and integrated into a concert music setting, to other unorthodox in- strument combinations that include the Atari 2600 video game console, omnichords, stylo- phones, Simon™, vintage board games, and ka- raoke tapes. In the broad scope of her evolving oeuvre, she explores such themes as malfunc- tion, reviving the obsolete, and the harnessing of imperfection and glitch to create a new kind of precision. In 2001 Lizée received a Master of Music de- gree from McGill University. After a decade and a half of composition, her commission list of over 50 works is varied and distinguished and includes the Kronos Quartet, Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic, the BBC Proms, the San Francisco Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, the Banff Centre, Bang On A Can, So Percussion, and nu- merous others. Lizée was recently awarded the prestigious 2019 Prix Opus for Composer of the Year. In 2017 she received the SOCAN Jan. V. Matejcek Award. In 2013 she received the Canada Council for the Arts Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. She is a two-time JUNO nominee for compo- sition of the year. She is a Lucas Artists Fellow (California) and a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Nicole Lizée Fellow (Italy). In 2015 she was selected by ac- claimed composer and conductor Howard Shore to be his protégée as part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. This Will Not Be Televised , her seminal piece for chamber en- semble and turntables, placed in the 2008 UNE- SCO International Rostrum of Composers’ Top 10 Works. Lizée was the Composer in Residence at Vancouver’s Music on Main from 2016–18. She is a Korg Canada and Arturia artist. About ZonelyHearts , Lizée writes: Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone : a singular series brimming with imagination and creativity that left an indelible impression on its audience. The tone and messaging inherent in the series were powerful, unrelenting, and often controversial but wholly relevant; and it remains relevant— arguably more than ever—today. ZonelyHearts does not sample content from the series but rather takes its cue from the tone and certain subject matter and messages—namely: mind control, censorship, surveillance, brain- washing, and revisionist history through al- tering and banning books. (These issues have a personal importance.) Perhaps its strongest message is freedom of expression and freedom to take artistic risks—both of which resonate strongly with me. The sounds and visual elements from the Twi- light Zone series have become iconic. From a compositional perspective, these elements are as appealing to me as any traditional member of the orchestra. Even Rod Serling’s voice in his narrations and introductions impart a unique timbre and musical inflection. In ZonelyHearts , specially created sounds and custom-made de- vices are integrated to mirror and embody the spirit of the series in my own way. Part of the joy of experiencing the TV series is its ability to surprise, and I look to convey this element in my own work. Nicole Lizée’s ZonelyHearts was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by Andrea Lunsford and the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English Centennial. –Program notes provided by Kronos Quartet For the Kronos Quartet/Kronos Performing Arts Association: Janet Cowperthwaite, Executive Director Mason Dille, Development Director Dana Dizon, Business Manager Sarah Donahue, Operations Director Reshena Liao, Creative Producer Nikolás McConnie-Saad, Artistic Administrator RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JUNE 7 – JUNE 30, 2024 68