I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
@icareifyoulisten.bsky.social
Award-winning multimedia platform for living music creators powered by American Composers Forum.
Advocating for marginalized artists & racial equity.
https://icareifyoulisten.com/
Advocating for marginalized artists & racial equity.
https://icareifyoulisten.com/
“For me, music is the closest thing to spirituality, and this is why I compose.”
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka's ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out:
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka's ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out:
ListN Up Playlist: Nina Fukuoka (November 20, 2025)
Nina Fukuoka curates a playlist centers music as an unexplainable yet powerful force, featuring Suzanne Ciani, Goldie, Sawako Kato, and more.
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December 6, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“For me, music is the closest thing to spirituality, and this is why I compose.”
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka's ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out:
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka's ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out:
“Night is a time when the world slows down and inner conversations begin. In the darkness, small gestures feel amplified, and silence itself becomes more present.”
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/mntSYJY
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/mntSYJY
December 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“Night is a time when the world slows down and inner conversations begin. In the darkness, small gestures feel amplified, and silence itself becomes more present.”
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/mntSYJY
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/mntSYJY
"Pursuing a musical career doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor — we have the freedom to create our own pathways and shape careers that benefit both our artistry and our well-being."
Have you read Hilary Purrington's Essay "In Defense of the Day Job" yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Hilary Purrington's Essay "In Defense of the Day Job" yet? Check it out at:
In Defense of the Day Job
Hilary Purrington shares the benefits of keeping a day job to fuel your compositional practice in this fourth Money Matters essay.
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December 5, 2025 at 8:45 PM
"Pursuing a musical career doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing endeavor — we have the freedom to create our own pathways and shape careers that benefit both our artistry and our well-being."
Have you read Hilary Purrington's Essay "In Defense of the Day Job" yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Hilary Purrington's Essay "In Defense of the Day Job" yet? Check it out at:
"Performed with guts and gusto by this ensemble of performers/composers, Seaglass manages a balancing act of intrigue and revelation with four works by the quartet’s violist Carrie Frey."
Have you listened to The Rhythm Method's album "Seaglass" yet? Check it out our review at:
Have you listened to The Rhythm Method's album "Seaglass" yet? Check it out our review at:
Carrie Frey and The Rhythm Method Explore Shared Consciousness on "Seaglass"
Connie Li reviews "Seaglass" from The Rhythm Method, featuring new works by Carrie Frey, out today on Gold Bolus Recordings.
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December 5, 2025 at 7:15 PM
"Performed with guts and gusto by this ensemble of performers/composers, Seaglass manages a balancing act of intrigue and revelation with four works by the quartet’s violist Carrie Frey."
Have you listened to The Rhythm Method's album "Seaglass" yet? Check it out our review at:
Have you listened to The Rhythm Method's album "Seaglass" yet? Check it out our review at:
"Its resonance can literally stop people in their tracks, mouth agape."
Have you read our interview with Nora Barton yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/oK1gVoi
Have you read our interview with Nora Barton yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/oK1gVoi
December 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
"Its resonance can literally stop people in their tracks, mouth agape."
Have you read our interview with Nora Barton yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/oK1gVoi
Have you read our interview with Nora Barton yet? Check it out at: buff.ly/oK1gVoi
"I tend to do a lot of pre-compositional work, and my goal is always to derive as much connected material as possible from the smallest original idea"
Have you read our interview with Anna Webber? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Anna Webber? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Anna Webber (saxophonist, flutist, composer)
Julia Kuhlman chats with saxophonist and composer Anna Webber about her newest album, "adjust," out Apr. 25 on Cantaloupe Records.
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December 3, 2025 at 7:39 PM
"I tend to do a lot of pre-compositional work, and my goal is always to derive as much connected material as possible from the smallest original idea"
Have you read our interview with Anna Webber? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Anna Webber? Check it out at:
'If we look at a “typical” composer’s path into the professional world, we can see a clear rift between creative practice and the business of music'
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei's essay 'This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers' yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei's essay 'This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers' yet? Check it out at:
This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers
Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei on pay transparency and why it needs to be part of an open conversation at all professional stages.
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 4:43 PM
'If we look at a “typical” composer’s path into the professional world, we can see a clear rift between creative practice and the business of music'
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei's essay 'This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers' yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei's essay 'This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers' yet? Check it out at:
“The final song is much more rhythmic and extroverted as Benavides seeks to express the 'spirit' of New Mexico through a character that draws inspiration from his grandparents."
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/nico...
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/nico...
December 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
“The final song is much more rhythmic and extroverted as Benavides seeks to express the 'spirit' of New Mexico through a character that draws inspiration from his grandparents."
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/nico...
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/nico...
“Much of what is erroneously called ‘teaching’ in classical music is just error detection.”
Have you read our interview with Ingrid Martin yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Ingrid Martin yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Ingrid Martin (conductor)
Gemma Peacocke chats with conductor Ingrid Martin about programming, gender inequity and her new role as Detroit Symphony's Assistant Conductor and Community Ambassador.
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December 2, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“Much of what is erroneously called ‘teaching’ in classical music is just error detection.”
Have you read our interview with Ingrid Martin yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Ingrid Martin yet? Check it out at:
"I consider 'humanity’s essential gems' to be humanity itself. As a person of faith, the scriptures state that we are made in God’s image and the command us to 'love our neighbor as ourself.' Therefore, considering humanity as our brother or sister..."
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/5-qu...
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/5-qu...
December 2, 2025 at 7:04 PM
"I consider 'humanity’s essential gems' to be humanity itself. As a person of faith, the scriptures state that we are made in God’s image and the command us to 'love our neighbor as ourself.' Therefore, considering humanity as our brother or sister..."
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/5-qu...
icareifyoulisten.com/2025/12/5-qu...
“To celebrate with sincerity requires courage: the courage to see another’s joy without diminishing our own, to applaud without comparison, and to remember that art is not a race, but a conversation.”
Read Lana Suran’s essay, “Do We Truly Celebrate Each Other’s Success?” at:
Read Lana Suran’s essay, “Do We Truly Celebrate Each Other’s Success?” at:
Do We Truly Celebrate Each Other’s Success? On Envy, Empathy, and the Illusion of Merit in Classical Music
Pianist Lana Suran looks at the issue of success as a "zero-sum" game, and how individual achievement can be a team effort.
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December 2, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“To celebrate with sincerity requires courage: the courage to see another’s joy without diminishing our own, to applaud without comparison, and to remember that art is not a race, but a conversation.”
Read Lana Suran’s essay, “Do We Truly Celebrate Each Other’s Success?” at:
Read Lana Suran’s essay, “Do We Truly Celebrate Each Other’s Success?” at:
“At once familiar and unknown, comforting and unsettling.”
Have you listened to Natacha Diels’ “Somewhere Beautiful” yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Natacha Diels’ “Somewhere Beautiful” yet? Check it out at:
Natacha Diels Takes Us "Somewhere Beautiful"
Christian Kriegeskotte reviews the newest album from composer Natasha Diels, "Somewhere Beautiful," out now.
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December 1, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“At once familiar and unknown, comforting and unsettling.”
Have you listened to Natacha Diels’ “Somewhere Beautiful” yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Natacha Diels’ “Somewhere Beautiful” yet? Check it out at:
“Night is a time when the world slows down and inner conversations begin. In the darkness, small gestures feel amplified, and silence itself becomes more present.”
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Asuka Kakitani (composer)
Stephanie Boyd chats with Asuka Kakitani stillness, creating in the early morning, and her latest album, "The Nights" out now.
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December 1, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“Night is a time when the world slows down and inner conversations begin. In the darkness, small gestures feel amplified, and silence itself becomes more present.”
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Asuka Kakitani yet? Check it out at:
“Del Pino demonstrates that with the right collaborator, a vast sonic experience can unfold from the human voice alone.”
Have you listened to Francisco del Pino and Charlotte Mundy’s album, “The Sea” yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Francisco del Pino and Charlotte Mundy’s album, “The Sea” yet? Check it out at:
Francisco del Pino and Charlotte Mundy Team Up For Evocative Poetry Settings on "The Sea"
Lauren Ishida reviews the newest record from Francisco del Pino, "The Sea," featuring soprano Charlotte Mundy, out now on Notice Recordings
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November 30, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“Del Pino demonstrates that with the right collaborator, a vast sonic experience can unfold from the human voice alone.”
Have you listened to Francisco del Pino and Charlotte Mundy’s album, “The Sea” yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Francisco del Pino and Charlotte Mundy’s album, “The Sea” yet? Check it out at:
“In my music, I’ve found this recurring desire to take thick beds of sound and try to reign them in. It feels like a meditation.”
Have you read our interview with Cristina Lord yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Cristina Lord yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Cristina Lord (composer, pianist)
Sofía Rocha chats with Cristina Lord about her newest album, "If It All Falls," out now on People Places Records.
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November 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“In my music, I’ve found this recurring desire to take thick beds of sound and try to reign them in. It feels like a meditation.”
Have you read our interview with Cristina Lord yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Cristina Lord yet? Check it out at:
“If working class artists are to survive alongside their wealthier peers, staying organized and boosting revenue from other income streams needs to become an essential component of the touring model.”
Read Ravish Momin’s essay, “A Sustainable DIY Hybrid Touring Model” at:
Read Ravish Momin’s essay, “A Sustainable DIY Hybrid Touring Model” at:
A Sustainable DIY Hybrid Touring Model
For the "Money Matters" series, Ravish Momin provides a DIY model for making touring an affordable venture.
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November 29, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“If working class artists are to survive alongside their wealthier peers, staying organized and boosting revenue from other income streams needs to become an essential component of the touring model.”
Read Ravish Momin’s essay, “A Sustainable DIY Hybrid Touring Model” at:
Read Ravish Momin’s essay, “A Sustainable DIY Hybrid Touring Model” at:
“The “underworld” became the site of my liberation, and my role as an artist in Los Angeles began to grow.”
Have you read our interview with Lu Coy yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Lu Coy yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Lu Coy (mixed media artist)
Yaz Lancaster chats with Lu Coy about "Becoming the Moon," part of the 22nd Annual New Original Works Festival at REDCAT Nov. 20-22.
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November 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“The “underworld” became the site of my liberation, and my role as an artist in Los Angeles began to grow.”
Have you read our interview with Lu Coy yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Lu Coy yet? Check it out at:
“I like to create a kind of stylistic eclecticism around myself; spaces where genre and aesthetic boundaries are blurred, juxtaposed, and often shattered entirely.”
Have you read our interview with Zygmund de Somogyi yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Zygmund de Somogyi yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Zygmund de Somogyi (composer)
Caroline Potter chats with composer Zygmund de Somogyi about their Wigmore Hall debut and collaborative approach to composing.
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November 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“I like to create a kind of stylistic eclecticism around myself; spaces where genre and aesthetic boundaries are blurred, juxtaposed, and often shattered entirely.”
Have you read our interview with Zygmund de Somogyi yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Zygmund de Somogyi yet? Check it out at:
“For me, music is the closest thing to spirituality, and this is why I compose. I also enjoy music that brings me closer to an unexplained force and elicits deeper meanings.”
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka’s ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka’s ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out at:
ListN Up Playlist: Nina Fukuoka (November 20, 2025)
Nina Fukuoka curates a playlist centers music as an unexplainable yet powerful force, featuring Suzanne Ciani, Goldie, Sawako Kato, and more.
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“For me, music is the closest thing to spirituality, and this is why I compose. I also enjoy music that brings me closer to an unexplained force and elicits deeper meanings.”
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka’s ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out at:
Have you listened to Nina Fukuoka’s ListN Up Playlist yet? Check it out at:
“The truth is, having a day job has freed me.”
Have you read Hilary Purrington’s essay, “In Defense of the Day Job” yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Hilary Purrington’s essay, “In Defense of the Day Job” yet? Check it out at:
In Defense of the Day Job
Hilary Purrington shares the benefits of keeping a day job to fuel your compositional practice in this fourth Money Matters essay.
buff.ly
November 27, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“The truth is, having a day job has freed me.”
Have you read Hilary Purrington’s essay, “In Defense of the Day Job” yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Hilary Purrington’s essay, “In Defense of the Day Job” yet? Check it out at:
“Quiet as it’s kept, the banjo is an instrument of the African diaspora.”
Have you read our concert review of Shawn Okpebholo’s Grammy-nominated Songs in Flight yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our concert review of Shawn Okpebholo’s Grammy-nominated Songs in Flight yet? Check it out at:
From African Diaspora, New Song Cycle by Shawn Okpebholo Takes Flight
Donna Lee Davidson reviews the world premiere of Shawn Okpebholo’s song cycle "Songs in Flight" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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November 27, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“Quiet as it’s kept, the banjo is an instrument of the African diaspora.”
Have you read our concert review of Shawn Okpebholo’s Grammy-nominated Songs in Flight yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our concert review of Shawn Okpebholo’s Grammy-nominated Songs in Flight yet? Check it out at:
“Our goal with Mayrig was [...] to try to evoke the fragmented way in which our family histories intersect with our present-day lives.”
Have you read our interview with Lembit Beecher and Karen Ouzounian yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Lembit Beecher and Karen Ouzounian yet? Check it out at:
5 Questions to Lembit Beecher (composer) and Karen Ouzounian (cellist, composer)
Christine S. Escobar chats with Lembit Beecher and Karen Ouzounian about creating as a couple and their upcoming project, "Mayrig."
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November 26, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“Our goal with Mayrig was [...] to try to evoke the fragmented way in which our family histories intersect with our present-day lives.”
Have you read our interview with Lembit Beecher and Karen Ouzounian yet? Check it out at:
Have you read our interview with Lembit Beecher and Karen Ouzounian yet? Check it out at:
“Debts are temporary. But I could live with these pieces forever.”
Adam Tendler on the works he commissioned for his Grammy-nominated album “Inheritances.” Check out the interview at:
Adam Tendler on the works he commissioned for his Grammy-nominated album “Inheritances.” Check out the interview at:
5 Questions to Adam Tendler (pianist)
Anne Goldberg-Baldwin chats with pianist Adam Tendler about his new album, "Inheritance," out Dec. 11 on New Amsterdam Records.
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November 26, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“Debts are temporary. But I could live with these pieces forever.”
Adam Tendler on the works he commissioned for his Grammy-nominated album “Inheritances.” Check out the interview at:
Adam Tendler on the works he commissioned for his Grammy-nominated album “Inheritances.” Check out the interview at:
“Most composers don’t know where the floor starts, where it should start, or how high the ceiling goes.”
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei’s essay, “This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers” yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei’s essay, “This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers” yet? Check it out at:
This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers
Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei on pay transparency and why it needs to be part of an open conversation at all professional stages.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
“Most composers don’t know where the floor starts, where it should start, or how high the ceiling goes.”
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei’s essay, “This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers” yet? Check it out at:
Have you read Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei’s essay, “This is a Failed Study on Pay Transparency for Composers” yet? Check it out at:
“The album nods to the role of the percussionist as ‘timekeeper’ while showcasing dream collaborations and long-time friends.”
Have you listened to Third Coast Percussion’s Grammy-nominated “Standard Stoppages” yet? Check out our review at:
Have you listened to Third Coast Percussion’s Grammy-nominated “Standard Stoppages” yet? Check out our review at:
Third Coast Percussion's "Standard Stoppages" Honors Two Decades of Innovative Music-Making
Michelle Hromin reviews the new album from Third Coast Percussion, celebrating two decades of musicmaking, out Apr 11 on Cedille Records
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November 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
“The album nods to the role of the percussionist as ‘timekeeper’ while showcasing dream collaborations and long-time friends.”
Have you listened to Third Coast Percussion’s Grammy-nominated “Standard Stoppages” yet? Check out our review at:
Have you listened to Third Coast Percussion’s Grammy-nominated “Standard Stoppages” yet? Check out our review at: