Episode 16 - Gala Flagello
Episode 16 features Gala Flagello, composer, DMA student at the University of Michigan, Festival Director, and co-founder of the nonprofit contemporary music festival Connecticut Summerfest. We talk with Gala about Connecticut Summerfest, hidden music fees, making music accessible, and writing an opera!
To learn more about Gala and all the groups and composers she spoke about during our chat, check out the links below!
Gala Flagello - Website
Music & Mindset Podcast
A Seat at the Piano
Kristin Kuster
Promenade Opera Project (POP)
Connecticut Summerfest
GA Runoff Commissioning Project
Self-Talk: III. Pursuit performance
Self-Talk Program Notes: “Self-Talk (2018) is a piece about the stories we tell ourselves—our inner voice, our commentary on our own actions and emotions. Each movement is a different manifestation of self-talk. The first movement, “Fable,” describes an instance where the protagonist learns about themselves over time through trial and error. The rhythmic material of this movement was derived from a line of Jim Harrison’s poetry: “I was a fable to myself.” The second movement, “Transformation,” describes a person’s shifting perspective over time, which parallels the transformations of the melody after each musical interruption. The final movement, “Pursuit,” propels the protagonist toward a predetermined goal with a few unexpected turns along the way.”
CT Summerfest Faculty:
Full Transcript
Carrie Blosser 0:01
Welcome to Diversify the Stand. The resource centered around listening, learning and promoting diverse musical voices in music, through our podcast, website, commissioning projects, and more. I'm Carrie Blosser
Ashley Killam 0:15
and I'm Ashley Killam. Join us on our journey as we speak with composers, creators, performers, historians and music educators about the topics important to them, and music’s betterment.
Our guest today is Gala Flagello. She's a composer, festival director, and co-founder of the nonprofit contemporary music festival, Connecticut Summerfest. Gala was recently commissioned by the Albany Symphony for their summer 2020 web series, she collaborates with artists of all kinds, and connects a lot of her works to social justice and environmental issues. And we are so excited to have her here. So welcome Gala.
Gala Flagello 1:03
Hello, thank you so much, Ashley and Carrie, it's so great to be here.
Carrie Blosser 1:07
Thank you so much for joining us. We'd love to hear about Connecticut Summerfest, the contemporary music festival you co-founded and directed.
Gala Flagello 1:14
Totally. Thanks, Carrie. We are heading into our sixth season this year, which is so exciting for a project that started as my and my co-founder Aaron's baby when I was like 21 and in undergrad. And we started it because there—actually, I like to tell this story: Aaron and I were sitting in the music library at the Hart school, where I did my undergrad, together after classes just sort of like doing the traditional composer-ly thing and I'm sure instrumentalist thing of applying to a bunch of different summer music festivals. We just kind of like threw our hands up in the air looked at each other and joking, we said, well, what if we just like started our own summer Music Festival? And it turns out, it wasn't a joke. That was the thing that both of us really wanted to do. And to sort of take what we felt were the most meaningful parts of those sorts of summer music festival activities and structures and slap them all together and call it Connecticut summerfest. So now it's season six here in 2021 occur every June in person at the Hart school every summer in Hartford, Connecticut, but now for the second year we’re virtual so that everyone can stay safe. And I think the most unique thing about Connecticut summerfest, and part of the reason we started it, was because Aaron and I wanted our composition students at the festival to actually be able to form a relationship with the people playing their music and use that as like a real learning opportunity. So every year we engage three ensembles-in-residence, professional touring active ensembles, who actually work longer-term with each composition student. So we encourage them to reach out to the ensemble during the compositional process and ask any questions they might have. For example, a couple of years ago, we had an ensemble that included harp, and writing for harp if you're not a harpist can be really difficult. So logistical things like that all the way to what are the holes in your repertoire? Like what are some types of things that you wish you got to play that you don't get to play? Some ensembles are unique instrumentation groups. And that's something we love because those ensembles are looking actively for new repertoire. So kind of forming that composer ensemble relationship is really important to us. And then we also engage for composition faculty, every year, the students get all those lessons, get to have some lectures with guest lectures about, like, a huge variety of topics, work with their ensemble-in-residence, and then the whole evening portion, which everyone in the world can see this year —and every year because we always livestream it, but now the quality is just that much higher, which is amazing— Do a free nightly concert series during the evening portion of the festival and some exciting developments that I'm excited about this season, and our application fee for the first time ever was pay what you wish. So Aaron and I are always looking to increase accessibility to the program any way that we can. So that was our solution. And we got a really great response from that. So hoping to keep that for future seasons. In addition to that, we are long-term on a path to have zero tuition at all for the composition program. And of course, long-term goal there. You know how fundraising is and the nonprofit sphere, but we're working our way there. In the interim, we have both gender diverse composers and composers of color scholarship that we award to, oh man, I think typically six or seven out of the nine students every year are able to to have that scholarship. So yeah, those are those are kind of all the details if people want to check it out, and we occur every June. And people can check out more information about the festival at CTSummerfest.org.
Ashley Killam 4:56
I really love what you said about just the pay what you wish because that's one thing as a performer that people don't—And as a former, you know, recently-ish out of school student, they don't tell you about there's all of these just hidden fees and hidden things. And so Carrie and I wanted to know, from a composer perspective, what are some lesser-known or kind of hidden things about being a composer today that people don't tell you about school, like entering competitions, or building a portfolio or those extra fees?
Gala Flagello 5:34
Yeah, absolutely. And, and Ashley, and Carrie, also, I'm sure, like going through school, that's something that you sort of learned from being in a program, which makes it sort of like doubly hidden, you need to sort of like be in the club to learn about how the profession works in a lot of ways. And I'm sure you both talk a lot about that through Diversify the Stand and through accessibility initiatives. For us, definitely, what Aaron and I sort of moved away from in terms of festival applications, those application fees can be incredibly high, when we did have an application fee, we tried to keep it lower than the rest, which tended to hang out around $30. But I've seen fees as high as $150, to like, essentially, upload a PDF of your music, which is just like tough to justify. And also, of course, blocks a lot of applicants who would like to participate, are at the level to participate in whatever the program is, but just like, don't happen to have spare hundreds of dollars just lying around. So thinking about that. And then especially because a lot of those students are in, you know, collegiate programs anyway. So during the school year, they're paying tuition, and then, you know, you have people saying, hey, you should also do summer festivals, which is a great opportunity, and they want to go do that. And then it's almost like, you know, paying for college year round. So that's sort of like tuition model that Karen and I, for Connecticut Summerfest are looking to move away from and you know, of course, from the administrator side, like yeah, you you need, you do need money to pay ensembles, faculty, all of that. But there are other ways I think that Aaron and I are exploring to sort of shift those revenue lines around and not put that burden on students. And I think too Ashley, in a more composer specific way, we encounter score calls and competitions a lot, I guess competitions are pretty consistent also for performing musicians as well. But the score call thing is, it's just the Wild West. The idea that a lot of the sort of initiators of those score calls have of just write us a piece for this instrumentation that we have that is maybe not standard, and the piece cannot have ever been performed before. And it can't have been commissioned by someone else. There’s sort of a lot of times all of these extra stipulations that go into those score calls, in addition to application fees. So I think those are some of the sort of, like, if we're talking about hidden fees, I feel like we're sort of on an infomercial. Yeah, definitely that and then, you know, all of the sort of what I would now consider, like basic costs, which luckily, more and more competitions are moving away from, oh, you have to like mail us this big, heavy stack of all of your bound scores. A lot of them now take PDFs, which is great here in the year 2021. But but some really don't, some want you to go get things printed. And then also, I would say that there are, in terms of like this, quote, secret part of this, like, there are some sort of visual cues in like, how much money you are spending on those scores that show like, oh, well, this score looks like this. So it's better. And this person is sort of in the know about how a score should look, that sort of information that you might not get unless you had a professor or a studio teacher tell you, in addition to the financial end of that, I think is tough, and really interesting from a psychology perspective, but I think in terms of making the field more accessible, definitely not in that category. So yeah, those are just some of the things off the top of my head.
Carrie Blosser 9:20
Yeah, I think it really creates a barrier between it is based on your income and how much you have to spend, like you're mentioning with summer festivals. Not only are you, like, have to, like, you know, travel there and to pay for room and board and be a part of things, but then that also means that you can't have a summer job.
Gala Flagello 9:37
Yes, definitely. And just to piggyback off of that, too Carrie, the I mean, across the entirety of the music field, we sort of have this really romanticized idea of either the super successful like you're a quote, a success, whatever that means, when only music or only like playing your instrument pays your bills. So there's like that really weird connection. And this idea of like, if you have a day job well, like you're not a real musician, you know, which I really struggle with. Because, you know, like, Charles Ives sold insurance. And we still talk about Charles Ives, obviously, that's just an example right off the top of my head. But you know, there have been so many composers, musicians, conductors that we would consider successful in, and I’m putting gigantic quotes around that word, who, you know, don't kind of fit that mold that is fed to a lot of people, especially in a conservatory environment. And on the other side, we have like the romanticized starving artist, you know, imagery, which is like not helpful to anyone, I think when you use the word barrier, or like, I use the word obstacle a lot thinking about, especially financial obstacles, that feels very real. And that's, it's sort of the idea of like, do you want to, or can you hurdle that barrier who's telling you either explicitly or not that you can't in some way, and I think what you're talking about with like, having a day job, or like bartending or having a summer job, like, those are ways that you can do that, but the fact is, like, those pay structures are still in place. And so it's definitely, like, systematic in that way. And then you're talking too about resources more generally, and not even just like, currency, this idea that, like, you have to, like, know, a videographer or you know, and I guess going back to the money thing, like people to pay for that. But I remember in undergrad, I really had, I don't think I totally understood how important recordings were, or at least in these, like certain situations, and for certain applications, how important they were. So that is another sort of, like, hidden piece of information you need someone to tell you. And then on top of that, if you're going to, if you're an undergraduate at a school that doesn't have like a really strong performance program, and you're a composer, and you need someone to play your piece, and maybe there's just somebody who, like, doesn't have the ability to, then, you know, you see, sometimes these score calls, and applications that say like, we don't accept MIDI, and it's like, what is that student supposed to do in that situation? Yeah, so I think that's a really good point too. And, and also, like it takes, I think it takes the pressure off of somebody to feel like they don't belong in the field, if they don't have that resources, if from the administrator side, or from the, you know, whoever is like writing that language sort of takes a step back and says, like, if I didn't have all of these things, what sort of language would I read that would welcome me into this situation, or like learning environment versus what would make me feel like I didn't belong, like I couldn't participate fully. And so that's something that I think Aaron and I think about a lot with Connecticut Summerfest, and we just redid our whole website this past summer, just going through all of the language with a fine tooth comb, especially in our application language saying like, okay, what if it's like this scenario that we might consider edge case, but like, what if that person is reading this? Or like, what if you're, you know, there's also a, we didn't even talk about this, but like, ageism, too sometimes can be a real issue, somebody who's coming to composition, or like, or to the music world generally as like a second career. And they just, they just want to participate and learn as well. So a lot of these programs are, like capped at 35. That seems to be the age that you see a lot. The term young composer is thrown around a lot. And maybe for some, I don't know, like, the idea of the prodigy, I think is really, really, really overblown in our fields. But yeah, I mean, for us, it's just 18+, but also, you know, if somebody like we've had composers who are like in their 60s be festival composition students in the past, because that's literally their second career, or like, they're coming to it as a retiree. And like, they're just falling in love with music again, and they want to learn and I don't think anyone should bar anyone from learning anything, personally.
Carrie Blosser 14:04
So we would love to hear about the opera that you're currently working on and writing as we chat today.
Gala Flagello 14:11
Yeah, I am so excited—talk about diving into new things you've never done before. I have never written an opera before. But I am so thrilled to be one of the 2021 new works initiative composers for a really cool small opera company in Boston called Promenade Opera Project. They go by POP, which I think is really cute. And they're considered sort of an immersive opera company. So I love this idea of putting opera where it quote doesn't belong. So performances in bars or restaurants or like outdoor performances and partnering with local Boston businesses. And they, you know, were super agile too at the start of the pandemic and made their entire season completely virtual, which was really cool. So performing Fidelio from people's living rooms, which is amazing, but yeah, really cool small opera company. And this is, I believe, their first or one of their first seasons ever having sort of a composer residency arm to what they do. So I'm really honored to be that person, and to get to use it as sort of like a fun sandbox to collaborate with them and their artists in residence this year, the premieres hopefully are going to be August or September, so fingers crossed for the COVID situation. Yeah, I'm really excited about it. It's a one act opera. So in between the 40 and 60 minute mark, and I had this crazy idea to write a comedy. So it's, uh, I'm excited. I'm excited to see what people think— definitely a dark comedy. And it is, I like to describe it to people as taking all the tropes of opera and smashing them together. And kind of, you know, wink and a nod at how ridiculous some of them are. And chaos ensues. And that's the opera. So we have a lot of, I'm actually in the middle right now of writing one of the villain’s songs, which is really fun. And I say song too, rather than like aria, specifically, because I think stylistically, maybe this does straddle the line of opera and musical theater, which, wow, is that a whole nother conversation? In terms of like the baggage of those two terms, especially opera, but that's, I think, sort of part of my excitement about this project is getting to examine the tropes and traditions of opera in sort of, like a funny way. And using that to welcome new audiences into the experience.
Ashley Killam 16:37
It's so inspiring, things like this, because it shows the ways that music can evolve. It's not just, you know, uptight, stuffy people. All the time.
Gala Flagello 16:49
Yeah, yeah, I totally agree with that. And, you know, I also want to shout out my, I'm currently in the DMA program in composition here at the University of Michigan. And I just want to shout out my studio teacher from this past semester, Christy Custer, who, when I was starting work on this, one of the first things she said to me was, just think of it like a collection of songs that you're going to string together with some dialogue, even just putting different labels on the things that we call different things, you know: aria, recit, you know, these sort of like heavy terms that are like really entrenched in the very white, European tradition of opera can really help free you creatively, at least I find. And then like, you're saying, actually, too, I want someone who's never been to an opera before to come to this opera, I want someone who has been to opera before and, like, hated it, to come to this opera and like, really enjoy it. And you know, not just in like a hokey, campy, oh, it's a comedy kind of way, but in like a genuine way. Like I think that I get to write music that oftentimes sits at this intersection of like entertainment and education, or using different musical languages or different styles and also having some sort of program or narrative or imagery that sort of, this is a tough word, but like, like not indoctrinated person, like somebody who's not like, all capital letters, classical music person can enjoy the idea of welcoming a listener or an audience member in, I think, is really important to me. And so maybe this opera, and me being able to work with Promenade Opera Project, and that being their attitude as well toward opera, it's all a really freeing experience, I think. And it's teaching me a lot too, because I'm also writing the libretto so, which, you know, only bold moves over here. But it's been a lot of fun. And it's also, you know, I think it's really healthy as musicians that we use, like all the different parts of our brain and kind of get the opportunity to slap all our different interests together. I, like, it has me thinking back to like when I was in, like, high school, and I was choosing when I was applying to colleges between being a composer or being an author. And I was like, yeah, these are two separate jobs that people do. Also an asterisk there that I even knew that composers were a thing that you could do, you would be that person in, you know, whatever the year was, it's really fun for me. And also, I guess the word “freeing” comes to mind again, that I'm sort of able to be an author on my own project.
Ashley Killam 19:31
It's not her opera, but here is a movement from Gala’s woodwind quintet, Self Talk. This is the third movement Pursuit. So our final question for you is what's on your music stand this week and how are you diversifying your stand?
Gala Flagello 22:11
So I'm going to start from a pretty, like, casual listener place instead of a stand place, I think, I've recently been listening to a whole bunch of Chloe and Halle which I like, recommend again, like, sort of in the pop music world there, but Ungodly Hour has been, like, my cooking music all week. Yeah, I know that's not classical but I just wanted to shout out how good that album is and yeah, I guess the people that are top of mind for me right now are Can I Get Some Requests faculty members actually, whose music I've been digging into a lot more just because they're on our season and we get to feature them in our social media. They're really cool people. So have some some folks to check out Cheny, Carlos, Simon, and Nina Se Young are on our faculty in addition to Ken Steen, who is a Hartt faculty member, but yeah, definitely I know that Carlos is currently working, and Carlos is also a UM alum which is kind of the small connection there. I love how we find out how small of a world the music world is. But he's doing a collaboration right now with one of our ensembles-in-residence, Hub New Music, who are a Boston-based ensemble, and they're doing a really cool evening length long piece that's coming out I believe in the spring or summer. And hopefully parts of that will be heard on our concert series. So yeah, definitely wanted to shout out those folks who we’re so so excited to have as faculty members this year. So definitely, definitely watch out for their music coming up on our concert series.
Carrie Blosser 23:44
Excellent. So links to Gala’s website, plus the groups and projects she's part of are listed in the podcast description.
Ashley Killam 23:50
Thank you so much for listening to Diversify the Stand. I am Ashley.
Carrie Blosser 23:55
And I'm Carrie. If you'd like to support us and our projects, check out our Patreon www.patreon.com/diversify_the_stand. Also, the link is in our podcast description.
Ashley Killam 24:11
And a huge thank you to Trevor Weston and Whitney George for allowing us to use their compositions in our podcast. The musical introduction is Trevor's trumpet duet Fanfare for Changes and the ending music is Whitney's Incantations for trumpet and piano. Both composers’ websites are also listed in the description.
Carrie Blosser 24:29
Until next time, what's on your stand?