Folk Music Reimagined
About This Project
We, as human beings, are not monoliths. We are more than our genders, race, class, occupations, attire, etc. The repertoire we present, promote, and support should celebrate that by exploring a wide variety of human nature, cultures, and societies. Moreover, as an educator, I have encountered several situations in which students interested in classical saxophone cannot find classical and contemporary saxophone literature that resonates with them. Or, they find literature they enjoy and resonate with but need help to study as it is too difficult for them. Folk Music Reimagined is one small attempt at remedying that problem by inviting more voices to be visible and present within the classical and contemporary saxophone field (both as performers and composers).
Mission
Folk Music Reimagined aims to regularly commission new, emerging, and professional composers from diverse musical, social, and cultural backgrounds to write new works for all the voices of the saxophone inspired by folk music idioms and practices. These works may be unaccompanied, with piano or with electronics. Works commissioned through this project are professionally recorded and form collections: Collection 1: Works for the Developing/ Intermediate Player or Collection 2: Works for the Advanced/Professional Player.
The Folk Music Reimaged project will occur every two to three years. The first iteration of the Folk Music Reimagined Project is currently taking place (2024). It features new works by composers Jordan VanHemert and Tolga Ozdemir. Their works will be recorded in January 2024, with a release date of late Summer 2025.
