Relevant Tones

STRUCK: Music for Percussive Instruments

Composers have long explored the percussive possibilities of traditionally non-percussive instruments, striking, tapping, scraping, and knocking on their bodies to uncove

Jocelyn Morlock: Artemis Sleeps

The late Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock left behind music of extraordinary color, imagination and emotional depth. The new album, Artemis Sleeps, celebrates her rema

Beltline Bones

Formed in 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin, the Beltline Bones are “a new music ensemble disguised as a trombone quartet” with an omnivorous approach to new music, combining th

unaccompanied: music for the voice alone

The voice is our oldest and most familiar instrument, yet composers continue to discover astonishing new possibilities within it. Music for the voice alone invites us to

Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival

The Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival is an ambitious summer program that brings together young string players to work intensively with leading professionals while pe

Cristina Spinei - Moved by An Interior Impulse

Best known for her acclaimed work with ballet companies across the country, Cristina Spinei has developed a distinctive musical language built on melodic cells, propulsiv

Third Place Music Festival

On this episode of Relevant Tones we highlight Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Third Place [MusicFest] as they celebrate their 7th year. Third Place curates an annual, four day per

Peter Askim and the NEXT Festival of Emerging Artists Part II

In the second half of our conversation with conductor, composer and producer Peter Askim, we take a deeper look at his efforts to champion living composers through initia

Peter Askim and the NEXT Festival of Emerging Artists Part I

Composer, conductor, and producer Peter Askim joins Seth Boustead to discuss building vibrant communities around contemporary classical music through the NC State 10-Year

Brent Michael Davids - American Requiem

Composer Brent Michael Davids discusses his powerful new work Requiem for America: Singing for the Invisible People—a sweeping musical reckoning with the genocidal founda

In Memorium: Bernard Rands

Esteemed composer Bernard Rands has passed away, a huge loss to our musical community. We honor his memory by re-airing this interview with host Seth Boustead from Septem

Notable Albums of 2025

Relevant Tones returns after our hiatus to bring you some of our favorite albums (and concerts) of the year. It was a great year for music! Hosted by Seth Boustead, M

At the World's Edge Festival

At the World’s Edge is a chamber music festival inspired by its roots in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and forging ties to Chicago and beyond. Host Seth Boustead tal

Neil Quigley

Host Austin Williams and composer guest Neil Quigley chat about Neil’s music and its relationship to speculative history. Neil explains how his relationship to the Kilke

Coalescent Quartet

Join host Austin Williams as he speaks to members of the Coalescent Saxophone Quartet. The quartet consists of members Nathan Bogert, Michael Shults, Nick Zoulek, and Dre

Hot Second

Join host Austin Williams and new music ensemble Hot Second ( Rebecca McDaniel Percussion and Dylan Feldpausch Violin/Viola) as we discuss their unique ensemble and its t

Laura Strickling 40@40

2023 and the first anthology has just been published by New Music Shelf. This extraordinary album features world-premiere recordings of art songs commissioned by Strick

On the Radar, April 2025

Cohosts Austin Williams and Stephen Rawson share what they have been listening to recently. Austin shares about an anthology of Irish Electroacoustic music that he became

Chiayu Hsu

Chiayu Hsu is an active composer of contemporary concert music and associate professor of composition at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Born in Banciao, Taiwan,

Feedback

Host Austin Williams curates a listening experience with themes of feedback. Feedback is often associated with harsh sounds that are created when a microphone is placed t