no.231 | Doing Nothing Well with Joe Williams

This week, I am excited to share a conversation with the brilliant and multi-talented composer, conductor, and musician Joe Williams, who contributed a beautiful improvised piece for PSO from Sante Fe, Mexico that I paired with a field recording made in Austin, Texas.

Joe Williams holds a doctorate in Performance from the University of Texas, a master's degree from the University of Arizona, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico. He is currently Artistic Director and Director of the Austin Classical Guitar Youth Orchestra at Austin Classical Guitar in Austin, Texas. 

In this conversation, we talk about metal in the desert, high school grunge, the value of changing frameworks of success, and the beauty of improvisation, among many many other things. 

After our conversation, we will hear his classical guitar improvisation recorded for PSO and a selection of pieces Joe has composed and/or played in. This begins with a wild wall of sound written for 70 guitarists, followed by a portion of Joe’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent film The Lodger, performed by the Texas Guitar Quartet featuring Bion Tsang on cello. Finally, we will hear a piece called “A New Home” excerpted from a larger work entitled  I/We 2020, a multimedia concert inspired by interviews with Syrian & Iraqi refugees during their first 90 days in Austin. That piece begins with a sound collage of interviews conducted and assembled by Travis Marcum. The piece has an amazing accompanying film work by ARCOS, a creative team comprised of choreographer Erica Gionfridda and artist Eliot Grey Fisher.

Links

Porch Swing Orchestra Website
https://porchswingorchestra.org/

Austin Classical Guitar
https://austinclassicalguitar.org/

Journey with Matt Hinsley, Justin Jay Hines, and Joe Williams
https://austinclassicalguitar.org/event/acg-originals-journey-with-matt-hinsley-friends/?event=35656

Michael Chapdelaine
https://www.michaelchapdelaine.com/

Patricia Ann Repar
https://music.unm.edu/faculty/patricia-ann-repar/

A New Home from I/We 2020 featuring ARCOS