KGNU’s Iris Berkeley speaks with composer Caroline Shaw ahead of her Denver performances with Gabriel Kahane and vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. They will perform Friday, November 8th and Saturday, November 9th at the Newman Center.
Shaw, known for her Grammy and Pulitzer-winning work, discusses her love for music’s diversity, inspired equally by classical composers and contemporary artists. Shaw and Kahane collaborated on a new piece called Hexagons, inspired by Borges’ The Library of Babel. The work uses a blend of viola, piano, electronics, and vocals to evoke the fantastical, boundless library described by Borges (Interview date: 11/04/2024)
Iris Berkeley: I’ve also got a very special treat here tonight. I am here with musician and composer Caroline Shaw in advance of her performance. There’s several performances. Gabriel Kahane and Roomful of Teeth are going to be performing at the Newman Center, Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th. Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane will be performing at the Hamilton Recital Hall at 2pm with a brand new piece of music. Caroline, do I have you on the line?
Caroline Shaw: Yes. Hello.
Iris Berkeley: It is such a pleasure. And thank you so much for joining us at the very last minute to chat in advance of these really fantastic performances this weekend. We really appreciate it.
Caroline Shaw: Oh, thanks for having me. And I was just tuning in online. It’s great. You can listen to the radio station from anywhere.
Iris Berkeley: Isn’t that wonderful? We’ve got folks all over the world and trust me, they are all excited to hear from you. Like totally truthfully, we would completely run out of time if I listed every one of your accolades. A shortlist for people who don’t know: Pulitzer Prize in music, four Grammys, Honorary Doctorate at Yale and then all the cool people that you’ve worked with. I wanted to focus on the one thing that stands out to me the most in your bio. It says your favorite color is yellow and your favorite smell is rosemary. That line just infers volumes about who you are, but I thought I’d just ask: who is Caroline Shaw?
Caroline Shaw: Oh, I keep thinking that my favorite color is going to change every so often, but I wore a yellow coat today and the leaves are all yellow and it’s the best time of the year. Every so often I’ll meet someone after a concert and they’ll actually bring me a sprig of rosemary and it’s such a smell of home. So I really love it. I guess that’s who I am.
Iris Berkeley: That is wonderful. You’ve got people bringing you rosemary. I love that. Another thing that kind of struck me that I remember reading a few years ago is this NPR headline with an interview with you. It says, “Caroline Shaw is not here to save classical music.” It talked a little bit about you going to Rice University and Yale School of Music and maybe pushing back a little bit against that whole rigid conservatory thing that most people think of when they think of the classical artistry complex. But how you’ve done that over the course of your career has been so inclusive and positive, and it feels really important. I wondered if you could talk a little bit about how you approach that spirit, that inclusivity or juxtaposition, or however you personally might think about it.
Caroline Shaw: Sure. I think whenever you have an instinct for something to change, it’s because you actually really love it and really care about it. I grew up playing and only listening to Mozart and Bach and Beethoven and I still deeply love this music. Yet, at the same time, I love so much other music that’s made today by people of other genres and people who come from other traditions. I’m interested in always asking the question about what moves us and what moves me as a listener and as a musician about music, and how can it change us and how can we take care of it?
Iris Berkeley: That’s so true. And from any angle, from any genre your piece “Sing On” with So Percussion from Rectangles and Circumstance, not gonna lie, it made me ugly cry the first time I heard it. When I played it on the air the first time, it actually went on our Afternoon Sound Alternative show here which is what it sounds like. I looked back to find it in the playlist. It was between indie pop artists, and something from the last Future Islands record, which is very different from classical music. What would you say to folks who find your work from that side of things and then cross over to the classical dark side?
Caroline Shaw: I would say, welcome to the party. There’s a lot here, there’s a lot on the table. There’s something for everyone and it’s not always going to be something you’re expecting, but try to listen with open ears and know that there are many different ways to love music and to enjoy being in the room with other people listening to it live.
Iris Berkeley: Which brings us very conveniently to this weekend.
Caroline Shaw: Perfect segue.
Iris Berkeley: Well done. I get the feeling you’ve done this before. So you’re here with Gabriel Kahane for both of these nights at DU. So the first is with the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. But the second evening, which I have a ticket giveaway for in a couple of minutes, is the two of you together to showcase this brand new piece, Hexagons, which the Newman Center co-commissioned. I wanted to hear a little bit about this and the backstory, which sounds pretty incredible and why you chose it and anything you’d love to share?
Caroline Shaw: Oh, sure. So we’re really excited to present this program. Gabriel Kahane and I are friends and we’re actually now neighbors in Portland, Oregon. And we are both independently interested in this beautiful story by Borge called “The Library of Babel”. There’s a hint of magical realism in the way that he constructs the story. It’s about essentially an infinite library of all possible books, and he describes meticulously what this extravagant, majestic, strange place would be like.
Gabe and I both had wanted to make something about this story, and we’ve decided to come together. There’s a mix of songs, Gabe is an amazing songwriter. I encourage everyone to check out everything he’s ever done. And with a viola, and piano, and our voices, and a little bit of electronics, and a loop pedal, we’re constructing a world that doesn’t really tell the story of the Library of Babel, but maybe hints at the colors of the world that Borges constructs. And in addition to that, we’ll also be doing some of our own songs that we’ve written before. So it’ll be a first half, second half.
Iris Berkeley: That’s fantastic. And then you’re on a little tour, aren’t you, right now?
Caroline Shaw: Yeah. If you would like to hear the very first iteration of this music, come on Saturday. It is a world premiere. I just came from Gabe’s house. We’re still making it, so it is the most fresh and the most new, and we would love to see you there.
Iris Berkeley: Oh wow. We definitely have some Portland weather for you right now. Sorry about that. It’s going to be a little bit rainy all week. For folks who come down on Friday and Saturday, would you have any advice for them or just think about this when you’re there or keep this in mind or bring me some rosemary or what?
Caroline Shaw: All of the above. I would say come and enjoy being with people in a room for about an hour to listen to something that feels like it has always been there, but you’ve never heard it quite before.
Iris Berkeley: Okay. I’m excited. Anything else you’d like to share with folks? We call ourselves the KGNUniverse, just to be a little cute.
Caroline Shaw: Oh, hello KGNUniverse. Nice to talk with you and keep listening and hope to see you soon.
Iris Berkeley: Absolutely. Do you get any time to chill here in Denver on Saturday night? Because Saturday’s a matinee. Do you get to at least relax?
Caroline Shaw: I think maybe we’ll have a little time on Saturday after the show to relax and see the town.
Iris Berkeley: Fantastic. We look forward to hearing and seeing and experiencing everything that you have to offer over the weekend. Thank you so much for joining us.
