inter-acts
a musical exploration of Selves
“inter-acts'' is a project inspired by interdisciplinary curiosity and intersecting identities. By examining how composers’ unique, singular make-ups influence their compositional voices, this project explores how confluences of interest and identity construct irreplicable human “selves,” in performers, composers, and audiences alike. Showcasing how these nodes of self create meaningful, impactful work, “inter-acts” hopes to celebrate each and every one of these personal interactions and intersections.
music by
Shi-an Costello, Wan Heo, Dave Dagta, Leo Discenza, and Mya Vandegrift
-
ComposerA versatile pianist, composer and sound artist, Shi-An Costello has been described as a “precise, engaged, welcoming performer, unafraid of deep ambiguities“ (The Reader), “in such spare textures and hushed dynamics, the smallest development seems seismic” (Chicago Classical Review), and on his piano interpretations of Shostakovitch and Schumann, “a tour de force . . . steely and granitic [Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87]” and “dreamy and sensitive [Davidsbundlertanze]” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). As a composer, Shi-An has written works for Dal Niente, International Contemporary Ensemble (I.C.E.), Access Contemporary Music, The _____ Experiment, Chromic Duo, Missing Piece, The Response Project, trickpony, Jonathan Hannau, Francis Yun, and himself, in a High Concept Labs commission. Shi-An’s latest 2021 release, [alloy]: new works for prepared piano, Greg Nahabedian of I Care If You Listen writes: “[alloy] is remarkable in its curation: there truly is something for everyone . . . Costello has done an amazing job of performing the music in a way that is faithful to the compositions while sequencing the tracks in a cohesive manner and creating a musical through-line...” Preceding alloy, Costello’s released two commercial solo albums of works from the classical canon on Blue Griffin Records, Rounded Binary (2018), and Posthumous (2020), as well as a self-released project under his electronic artist name, Coshian, water (2021). Costello previously held position as Visiting Artist and Piano faculty at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and New Music School. He holds degrees in Music Composition and Performance from Columbia College and the Schulich School of Music of McGill University.
Photo by Phil Parcellano at Fauve Foto
-
ComposerBorn in South Korea, Wan Heo is a composer and a violinist whose works have been performed in South Korea, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and various venues in the United States. Her percussion solo piece Unveiled Future has been published by Alfonce Production. Wan’s works were featured at Yarn/Wire Institute, Unheard-of ensemble Collaborative Composition Initiative, line upon line Winter Composer Festival, New Music On the Point, highSCORE festival, VIPA(Valencia International Performance Academy), among others. Recently, she began her own research on Korean ancestors’ appreciation to nature by touring and recording sounds at historical sites in South Korea, which results in fixed media or ensemble with electronics works using the recorded sounds. Her first piece on this project, From Air to Mind for an ensemble with live electronics, was selected to be presented at Composition In Asia conference at University of South Florida.
Wan holds B.M. in Composition from Ewha Womans University in South Korea and M.M. in Composition from Florida State University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Composition and Music Technology at Northwestern University under the guidance of Alex Mincek, Hans Thomalla, and Jay Alan Yim.
Photo by Ronnie Yatco and Nathan Santos
-
ComposerDave is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, and a bandurria player. He has written works for solo, chamber, choir, orchestra, wind ensemble, and rondalla. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Composition at the University of the Philippines where he studied under Professor Josefino “Chino” Toledo.
In February 2013, he was one of the top 15 finalists from 637 entries at the International Federation for Choral Music Choral Composition Competition. In March 2015, his composition “Pulso” for Flute and Orchestra was featured in the Musik Underkonstruktion of the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra. In November 2015, the same piece was performed by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, where it won the Yoshiro Irino Composer’s Prize in the 33rd Asian Composers League Festival. He was a finalist in the 2018 Banaue International Music Composition Competition.
In May of 2022, he earned his Master’s Degree in Composition and Graduate Certificate in Music Theory at Michigan State University. While at MSU, he was able to collaborate with ensembles such as Khemia Ensemble and Harlem String Quartet, and got to participate in MSU Wind Ensemble and MSU Symphony Orchestra readings. He studied under Alexis Bacon, Ricardo Lorenz and David Biedenbender.
Dave is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, on a full scholarship. Dave loves going hiking, beach, movies, playing table tennis, and eating Asian food. His favorites are pho, ramen, Korean barbecue, pad thai, and steamed dumplings.
Photo by Alexander Chen
-
ComposerLeo is a 21-year-old musician from Arlington, Virginia. They are a fourth-year undergraduate in the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, where they study composition with Hans Thomalla. With strong roots in choral music, Leo gravitates most toward vocal music, but enjoys writing for all instruments.
Upcoming performances/workshops include pieces for Third Coast Percussion and JACK Quartet. Leo is also working on a choral composition recital with their colleague Kate Li, including a collaborative piece written after they studied Basque choral music in San Sebastian, Spain on a research grant from Northwestern. Leo enjoys working collaboratively with several other composers in Kolaj, an electro-acoustic ensemble.
Outside of composition, Leo is an active singer at Northwestern under Donald Nally in BCE, as well as in the Renaissance Singers, where they are treasurer and co-music director. They study vocal performance with Elissa Edwards.
-
ComposerMya Vandegrift is a composer, sound artist, and filmmaker originally from Wooster, Ohio and a current music composition, film, and performance studies student at Northwestern University. She utilizes visual storytelling, self-recorded sound footage, and her background as a classical composer to create everything from contemporary classical works to experimental performance art. Her recent projects include her first opera, S A L T, written for the Northwestern Opera Project for Undergraduate Students, a work for Unheard-off//Ensemble titled en·tro·py, and her string quartet, Suddenly In Sunlight, written for the Rhythm Method. In the past she has written for the Rochester Philharmonia, the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, new music ensemble No Exit, among many others. She is passionate about interdisciplinary work, collaboration, and pushing the boundaries of notation. She is also passionate about dried mangoes, farming, and her dog, Oskar.