Why we do what we do - violinist, Dian Zhang

My encounter with ‘new music,’ contemporary music, music of our time, whichever name one choose to use, came organically during my undergraduate studies. As an incoming freshman, I was rather clueless about music. Sure, I played the violin well enough to get into Peabody Conservatory, but my roommate gave me an exasperated look after he expressed his excitement at the prospects of performing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in one of our first orchestra concerts, to which I professed to not even knowing how the piece goes. Thats the level of ‘musicianship’ I had as a college freshman. 

In the first couple of years of undergraduate studies, we all had to take music history courses, split into 4 classes, each detailing a different era, and with the last one focusing on music of the 20th Century to the music of today. So while I was learning about the contrapuntal splendors of the last movement of Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, I encountered at the same time everything from the hypnotic rhythms in Steve Reich’s Drumming to the reimagining of the song in George Crumb’s Madrigals. I realized then that music is not just a set of pieces, but rather a humanistic endeavor that continuously explore the intersection of sound and its affectations on our capacity to feel.

Playing in an ensemble like Loop38 for me is as musically necessary and satisfying as playing in a string quartet or in an orchestra. I would feel incomplete as a musician living in 2017 who somehow couldn’t perform masterpieces like the Chaconne by Bach or a quartet by Beethoven, just like how I would feel if I didn’t perform the latest works by a Haas or an Adés. To explore and discover are just as noble of a pursuit as to appreciate what we already possess. But the human desire to explore is intrinsic to our nature, this is perhaps most evident in the scientific fields. Whereas scientists explore and strive to answer the age-old question — What is the meaning of life? — with chemistry, math, biology, and physics, musicians and composers do the same with sounds. Loop38 is an ensemble that is dedicated to the forefront of such sonic discoveries, and I feel a strong sense of fulfillment to be part of this collection of esteemed musicians. 

-DZ

2 days left in our fundraising campaign!

Why our size? - double bassist, Austin Lewellen

Within the Common Practice Era (what most people think of when they hear the words “classical music”), there are several established instrumentations: common terms include the symphony orchestra and the string quartet. Quartets still abound within the music of our lifetimes, but the common “large ensemble” setup of today is considerably smaller. In general this music is written for one person per instrument, with doublings occurring most commonly in the violins and percussion. This pared-down instrumentation is incredibly flexible: composers have access to the entire orchestral palette, from the delicate textures heard in Kaija Saariaho’s Lichtbogen to the strident melodies of Andrew Norman’s Try.

This season, we have taken great care to select venues well-suited to our projects and our size. To create an intimate and immersive experience, we looked for spaces just large enough to fit everyone: MATCH Gallery, Turrell Skyspace, Rothko Chapel. These are all unusual settings for a concert, and each came with its own set of logistical challenges, but the final product was well worth the extra effort. When so much of our repertoire aims for a visceral, emotional reaction from the listener, part of our task is to ensure that our sound and expression are enhanced by the venue. We want you to sit up close, we want you to feel what we feel, and we want to scare the wits out of you.

-AL

3 days left in our fundraising campaign!

Why we do what we do - violinist, Ling Ling Huang

Ling Ling recounts her new music experiences - from Corigliano and Saariaho at Aspen Music Festival, and Grisey at Banff - to the potential of music to speak to current social events, out-of-body experiences, and "losing it" in an audience...

Here's the Corigliano "shotgun moment" from Circus Maximus:

and here's the performance she talks about Yvonne playing Rzewski at Duncan Hall:

4 days left in our first fundraising campaign! Thank you for your support!

First season in review - pianist and co-founder, Yvonne Chen

First off, THANK YOU ALL.

I hope that with this first season, we have proven our ability to present new music for chamber ensemble in meaningful experiences to Houston. The feedback that you have all given back to us has been encouraging and helpful while we've taken risks and dealt with unfamiliar challenges. You have proven to us that there are indeed curious listeners in Houston who appreciate what we have to bring, and have given us hope that we may one day succeed in making this a viable career. 

We couldn't have done any of this without the collective of musicians that make up Loop38. It is daunting enough to decide to give up our livelihood preparing for concerts, playing gigs, and teaching students in order to organize these performances, but having these musicians that also are passionate about it has made it all worth it:

Timothy Steeves
Ling Ling Huang
Dian Zhang
Giancarlo Latta
Jarita Ng
Jebat Kee
Jakob Nierenz
Will Kremer
Austin Lewellen
Caitlin Mehrtens
Christina Hughes
Doug DeVries
Justina Chu
Katie Hart
Maiko Sasaki
Thomas Frey
Ben Roidl-Ward
Isaac Schultz
Masahito Sugihara
Danny Kamins
Tanner Antonetti
Cameron Kerl
John Church
Daniel Hawkins
Hugo Valverde
Daniel Egan
Michael Chen
Frances Lee
Craig Hauschildt
Brandon Bell

As classically trained musicians from the top conservatories in the world, many of us at Loop38 have a lifelong appreciation and love for the classics. However the options to perform the music of today is incredibly limited, particularly in the "chamber orchestra"/"large ensemble" size we love so much, with its perfect blend of soloistic instrumental playing with the timbral possibilities of a full orchestra. We realize the value and effectiveness of playing today's music for today's audiences, and hope that it can be recognized as more than a passion-project or hobby, and instead to be on par with an orchestra career.

I took a MBA class at Rice last semester and came out of it realizing how important it is to go after the things you want, but also if it doesn't work, to fail fast. I am delighted and yet saddened that we are losing many of our musicians this year to amazing jobs. Prove to us that Loop38 has a place in Houston to stay, to continually challenge the cultural landscape, and to offer viable careers in the arts, by participating in our first fundraising campaign, giving us feedback, and coming out to hear our shows. Thank you!

-YC

Help us reach our $8300 goal by Wednesday night! Every bit counts!

what's in a name?

When Jerry and I finally decided to start the ensemble and had our initial core group of 10, the first order of business was to find a name.. and that involved lots of decision-making. From whether or not to incorporate "Houston", "Texas", or "Lone Star" in the name (immediately decided against), "ensemble" or "collective", or to follow Eighth Blackbird or Alarm Will Sound and pick a name that just sounds cool, there were too many and yet also not enough ideas that resonated with us. So, we turned to the group and asked for suggestions in a Google spreadsheet.

The first email subject line: me at my most eloquent. 

Members could jot down whatever name ideas came to them, and also leave comments or suggestions of similar or related possible names. In the end, we had 22 options with 9 variations, out of which members could rank their top five choices. The most popular was "Loop 38", reflecting the 38-mile long freeway ("the loop") that encircles our little part of Houston we've all ended up in.

As a group of people from so many different parts of the U.S. and abroad, the aspect of having "Loop" in the name helps tie us to our new home without sounding too traditional or obvious. We all liked the continuous movement implied by the word "loop", and its use in music as "a continuously repeated segment of music". 

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We play new music from all sides of the spectrum, which will hopefully throw you all for a loop. (screen grab from Merriam-Webster)

Originally, Jerry and I had told the members that we would look at the top 5 popular names and use our judgement to decide from the top 5. I'm happy to say we didn't need to override the group's favorite - and after deleting the space between text and numbers, we arrived with Loop38. 

One decision down, 102934879543982 more to go!

-Y