puff balls & stuffed animals

A new string quartet, 'Heirloom' with the Chicago Symphony, Joshua Redman plays "Baltimore," and more...

I’m sitting on our rust colored, cat-mangled sofa, surveying the daily chaos that accompanies parenting two children under six. The floor looks like a Jackson Pollock splatter painting, bright puff balls strewn here and there, stuffed animals at odd angles, victims of a twenty-month-old hurricane. In a brief pocket of quiet (the hurricane is regrouping), I want to let you all know about a few things happening this month.

• On Monday, August 7th at the Vail Dance Festival, Brooklyn Rider gives the premiere of my string quartet, American Studies, loosely based on the song “To Be American” from Magnificent Bird. This performance will accompany a new choreographic work by Caili Quan (she’s brilliant!), performed by three extraordinary dancers: Olivia Bell, Unity Phelan, and Calvin Royal III. I’ve gotten to see some rehearsal clips, and the piece looks gorgeous.

• Later in the week (August 10th) at Ravinia, my father performs my piano concerto, Heirloom, alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of the intrepid Teddy Abrams.

• I’ll be in NYC for a good portion of the month working on this and that. Who knows, maybe you’ll stumble upon me singing songs somewhere…?

• Lastly, on August 19th, I’ll give a performance of Book of Travelers for Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine.

As this list has been growing a bit over the last several months, I thought I’d recap a few pieces that new subscribers might find interesting:

To the Finland Station - an account of my recent trip to Northern Karelia.

Story of a Poem - a review of my friend Matthew Zapruder’s recent memoir.

Dancing About Architecture - a review of the film Tár.

The Jews, The Jews, The Jews - on the resurgence of anti-semitism.

Kill Your Darlings - on the role of patience and editing in songwriting.

In Defense of Friction - the case for abandoning smartphones, via Brian Wilson.

Social Media and Its Discontents - on returning to the internet after a year-long hiatus.

Last but not least, the great saxophonist Joshua Redman has released a cover of “Baltimore” from Book of Travelers. I think it’s quite beautiful.

I’ll be back with some more essay-ish pieces shortly. I hope you’ll consider upgrading to the paid tier, which makes it easier for me to justify spending time writing these pieces!

All my best,

Gabriel