Canadian composer Zosha di Castri likes having multiple addresses. (She has bounced between Edmonton, Montreal, New York, and Paris.) She’s also open to a wide variety of possibilities in her music. The first recipient of a New Voices commission, a program conceived by Michael Tilson Thomas, in collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, the New World Symphony Orchestra, and publishing house Boosey and Hawkes, di Castri has moved from up-and-comer to hot property in one bound. In this interview with SFCV senior contributor Jeff Kaliss, the 28-year-old composer reveals some of her musical stimuli, what it’s like to work with an orchestra, and gives a sneak peak at the next part of her commission.
Video 1: Lineages
Although the title came last, there is a connection between the music for di Castri’s first New Voices commission and her background. As she explains to Jeff, this is a piece getting in touch with the Ukrainian half of her background.
Video by Beth Hondl
Video 2: Working with MTT
Is it a big deal coming to work with a world-class orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas? Sure, but once you get into the music, it’s another day at the office.
Video by Beth Hondl
Video 3: … And the Kitchen Sink: Writing for Percussion
For the second part of her commission, Zosha is writing a percussion piece. True to the saying that anything can be a percussion instrument, she tells Jeff how she began appropriating her mother’s kitchen utensils and pots.
Video by Beth Hondl