Writing music is how I express myself. After all, “where words fail, music speaks.” — Chelsea Loew, composer
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Leading up to Helia Music & Siroko Duo's March 25th concert, Re:Ignite, we'll be posting interviews with our collaborators to offer you a sneak-peak into their lives, their musical process, and their inspiration. Read on to learn more! Meet Izabel Austin! On March 25, 2017, Siroko will perform her work The Speed of Darkness for two flutes. Find out about her background, her piece, and fun facts about her life.  Tell us a little about yourself - where you’re currently based, your musical journey so far, and where you think you’re going. I'm currently based in Eugene, OR and recently graduated from University of Oregon with a B.M. in Music Composition and Violin Performance. I've played and loved music my whole life but didn't think of it as a career option until my last year of high school (I actually applied to most colleges as an English/Creative Writing major). I had a difficult time when I first started music school, as I was far more inexperienced than most of my peers who had lived and breathed classical music from a young age, but I worked as hard as I could and ended up finding that my somewhat unconventional background actually gave me an edge in some areas. I have tentative plans to go to LA to do some film scoring work in the near future. Other than that I'm not entirely certain where my next adventure will take me, but for the moment I'm enjoying the feeling of all potential paths being open to me. What inspires your music? Describe your voice. I find that I am often more inspired by raw sounds than actual music. There are so many amazing sounds in the world that most people just ignore because they're conditioned to, like the hum from building generators or the wash of noise you can hear walking down a busy street. When I start listening to all these sounds instead of pushing them aside, it changes the way I view and write music. I think that unpitched noise and even silence can have the same amount of emotional impact as a melody. When I write a piece I am really just seeking to use sound and silence effectively to create an atmosphere for the listener to inhabit. The musical artists I find most compelling are those who can do that artfully. One piece of music that deeply inspired me is the score to the film There Will Be Blood composed by Jonny Greenwood. When I first started the composition program at the UO, I felt like I had to write very "in the box" music, because that was the only kind of art music I had been exposed to. But that score opened the door for me to explore more experimental music and to write music that was what I actually wanted, not just what I thought I had to do. Some other artists who have inspired me are Fausto Romitelli, Kaija Saariaho, Giacinto Scelsi, Imogen Heap, Someii Satoh, and Radiohead. I just try to write music that is true to myself and my beliefs that I think other people might also like to listen to! Tell us about the piece Siroko will be performing. My piece The Speed of Darkness is inspired by the second stanza of Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Speed of Darkness", which is about the interplay and transformation between listening, speaking, and silence. The piece is not meant to literally interpret or represent the poem, but instead draws on the sounds of the words and the ideas expressed in the poem. It features a number of extended techniques that I feel gives the piece the life and timbral variance that a spoken voice has. It was originally written for a collaborative concert between the composition department and the flute studio at UO, and was premiered by Sam Golter and Linda Jenkins. What was it like writing for two flutes? Challenging? Easy? Tell us about your process. I think writing for different instruments, especially for a solo or duo, presents its own set of challenges. If you think it's easy, you're either a genius virtuoso (unlikely) or not truly putting the effort in to use the unique aspects of that instrument (more likely). I find when you know an instrument well (in my case the violin) it can actually be more challenging because you already know a lot of the repertoire for it and so to do something that is unique and authentic can be difficult. In regards to writing for two flutes, I found it to be a fun challenge. I pestered my friends who played flute to show me techniques and to look the piece over in various stages of its creation. I ended up learning all sorts of things about the flute that I never would have considered. It was a great experience! I knew from the beginning that some of the things I wanted, especially with extended techniques, were either impossible or pushing the limits of possible, so it was very helpful having flutist friends willing to help. And of course, knowing that you're writing for stellar instrumentalists is always inspiration to push yourself and do your best. Do you have any interesting hobbies outside of music? As is the Oregonian way, I do lots of outdoorsy stuff: surfing, mountain biking, climbing, hiking, and backpacking are all fair game. I'm an incurable bibliophile, so I spend a lot of time reading or lurking in bookstores, and I like to write poetry. When I'm not doing these things you can find me lazing about playing video games or practicing intersectional feminist witchcraft with the assistance of my trusty black kitty Berlioz. ;)  Find out more about Izabel by visiting: https://soundcloud.com/izabelaustin Don't miss Izabel's piece! Re:Ignite - Helia Music Collective & Siroko Duo Saturday, March 25th at 7:30pm Center for New Music (55 Taylor St., SF, CA) $15 general/$10 members, students, seniors Tickets available at the door and online here.
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