Leah Barclay

This week I read an interview with Leah Barclay, who is a modern composer and "sound activist." Like many of the other article I read she experiments with multimedia performances to really give the audience a deep connection with her music. I have noticed that many of the composers today use art to and the space around them to influence and contribute the music, which I believe keeps it fresh for the audience and increases interest in a field that many see as difficult to connect to. One of Leah's goals with her audience is "to teach them to listen to the sounds around them." When asked about her classical background and how it morphed into the "electroacoustic" music she creates, she explains that her surroundings have always been a big inspiration for her and the differences between each place she has traveled to are reflected in the music. She feels deeply connected with nature and hopes to communicate about the environment to her audience. She is currently working on "biosphere landscapes." I appreciate that many artists now are incorporating different types of art into music, and that they are using the sounds from their natural surroundings to influence their writing. Both composers with interviews who I have written about in the blog so far involved either the environment or architecture of the performance space as a part of the pieces, so I wonder if this use of performance mixed with art is going to stay a popular trend. I like that it speaks so directly to the audience and that it gets people excited for new concerts as well as makes it interesting. While I hope not all "classical music" remains in this style, I can see how it is helpful in grabbing an audience and getting more people into the genre.https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2016/02/5-questions-to-leah-barclay-composer-sound-activist/