When the Northwest Arkansas Symphony performs The New Canons on March 11, it will be unique in the truest sense of the word. The concert preview selection is working on SoNA’s first ever album, due out in May.

Featuring “Cohere 1”, created and played on stage at the Walton Arts Center by Brooklyn electro-acoustic violist Trevor New, who has performed throughout the US, Europe and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. worked as a sound engineer, engineer/producer and performer in various media. He answered five questions for What’s Up! before his appearance in Fayetteville.

Q. I’m guessing the viola predates electronic music, but I could be wrong! Can you explain evolution for you?

A. It’s funny, I first learned to play the viola, but only after I learned to play the guitar as a very young child and became a big fan of Jimi Hendrix. What he did with his sound drove them to the limit of their ears. Coincidentally, he was also once a violist, as far as I understand, though not for long. So, although I began to focus more on the viola first, there was indeed a different sound in my ears that attracted me a lot.

I first started using electronics as a utility, first to just record my own music and then to be able to create more powerful sound as a solo artist. By doing this and playing with all sorts of echoes, reverbs and experimenting with user effects, I feel like I’ve found a way to accompany myself and also occasionally take the lead. Much of this practice was inspired by Bach’s unaccompanied violin sonatas and partitas playing on my viola. In particular, there is so much in the Bach Chaconne that everyone needs to figure out how to do it.

Q. Was “Cohere” written as a response to the covid lockdown? What inspired him? Was it written for any specific band?

A. Before covid, I was developing a concept to make people feel more connected at concerts. When we went into quarantine, I was forced to speed up what I was doing and steer it into the additional direction of network performance. After experimenting with techniques and learning about different methods of collaborating with individuals—and in particular some great success playing with the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra in various live, virtual, and hybrid configurations—I was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra to write “Cohere 1.”

I tried to explore this concept and the pre-Covid environment, but I believe the lockdown we’ve all experienced has made it even more important for me to make this something special for everyone.

Q. How would you describe the style of “Cohere”?

A. I’d say it’s kind of like what you hear in the movie, except that the context and shifting spaces become visual components in this cut and we hear everyone glow as they blend into the space.

Q. What will the audience see and hear when SoNA performs this piece?

A. They will see an orchestra and, on a large projector screen, a virtual ensemble of three string quartets and six people shining from nine other time zones.

Q. Does this evolution of performance mean major changes for orchestras in the future?

A. I think this could be an exciting part of the future of orchestras. When you can network musicians from anywhere in the world and form a band, you get around so much of what we think separates us from each other. This approach is to find a way to intuitively feel how connected we are to everyone, wherever they are, when we make good music, that’s really special. For musicians, everything again depends on time and space, so although some things look different than the usual gaming experience, the musical skills required are almost identical, because this is not just a technical solution, but a musical solution that uses some technology. I am very grateful to SoNA for taking this on and exploring these possibilities.

FAQ

Northwest Arkansas Symphony:

“New Canons”

WHEN — March 11, 19:30

WHERE – Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

PRICE — $36-$60

INFO — sonamusic.org or 443-5600

FYI, audiences will also hear music director Paul Haas’ saecula saeculorum, created in 2016 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas and the opening of its new building, as well as the Brahms Symphony. No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883).

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