A Conversation with Kenken Gorder

Jacob Schnitzer: Can you tell us a little bit about NüToots, why you wanted to go on this journey, and about the music? 

KG: I really like collaboration and I enjoy making music with my friends ⁠— the music for this album is also written by friends of mine! We’ll hear a mix of solo works, electroacoustic duos and trios with some visual elements integrated. 

JS: What has it been like to be a part of the process of commissioning and championing new works by living people? 

KG: It's been a terrifying experience, but also very rewarding in that I can create my own sound and have my own voice in the music while also having a very constructive dialogue between myself, the composers, and the other performers involved. 

JS: It sounds like there's a lot of collaboration ⁠— that's always the case with new music ⁠— but especially because you're working with the composers and because  your friends will be in town to play. What has it been like to collaborate with people you already know and like? 

KG: I get challenged musically to play alongside super stellar musicians and there's going to be a give and take between everybody who's playing, and even the composers. Getting feedback and then also giving feedback has been one of the most fun parts in the collaborations. 

JS: I understand that the audience at the show will get a sneak peek behind the curtain of your collaboration. What will their experience be like? 

KG: They get to see how challenging it is to put an album together in terms of recording and just the inception of compositions. They also get to be part of the show by their own questions and embracing their curiosity. It will be a nice mix of live performance interspersed with music education.

JS: So they'll have an opportunity to talk with all of you? 

KG: The show is split up into 3 segments: solos, duos and trios. At the end of each segment of the show there will be a small period in which the audience members can ask me questions and the other performers questions, and I do have some responses from composers too, which is fantastic.

JS: What kind of questions are you excited to hear from the audience and what kind of questions are you nervous to hear from them? 

KG: The question that I'm most excited for is “why did you name it Nütoots?” The answer is both silly and embarrassing! The question that I'm most... not dreading, but I'll have to think about it more is “Why?Why did you and this composer decide to do this kind of instrumentation or, include extended technique or electronics?” That will be a challenging question to answer succinctly given the limited time, but a great one to ask nonetheless!

JS: What are you most excited for? 

KG: I'm excited to play with everybody and then deliver the happiness through the music to the audience. There's a reception, so there will be mingling and an intimate community aspect to the whole show. It closes the loop between performer and composer and audience and everybody is just a community together.