Listen to the NPR broadcast of “The Palmian Chord Ryddle” from Carnegie Hall

The Nashville Scene: Cover Story about Tracy

The Tennessean: Profile Article of Tracy

Promo Video for “Palmian Chord Ryddle”

Nashville Scene Review of “Palmian Chord Ryddle” Premier Concert

Sequenza 21 Review of Carnegie Hall Concert

Vanderbilt Panel with Terry Riley, Tracy, Giancarlo, Tim Page, John Pitcher

Impromptu performance by Terry Riley and Tracy Silverman

Terry Riley on “The Palmian Chord Ryddle”

Tracy talks about “The Palmian Chord Ryddle”

Tracy talks about Terry Riley

Tracy’s recent blog about preparing for the premier

The Nashville Symphony and I will perform the NY premier of a major new electric violin concerto by legendary composer Terry Riley in Carnegie Hall on Saturday, May 12, 2012 on the closing concert of the 2012 Spring for Music Festival. Known as “the father of Minimalism”, Riley is one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. He changed the course of music history with his seminal 1964 work, “In C” which set the stage for composers such as John Adams, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich and even Pete Townsend of the rock band The Who, who paid homage to Riley with the synthesizer intro to the hit song, “Baba O’Riley”, (better known as “Teenage Wasteland.”)

Work on the new piece, commissioned last year by the Nashville Symphony, started early 2010 and the new concerto is now complete. Nashville Symphony music director Giancarlo Guerrero will conduct the world premier in Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on May 3, 2012 with additional concerts in Nashville on May 4 and 5 and other tour dates TBD May 6-11. I’ve been in close contact with Terry throughout the process, making five trips in the last year to his Moonshine Ranch in the Sierra foothills of CA to work with him. Terry and I have worked together for years–we’ve recorded several CD’s together and toured in the US and in Europe–and he’s intimately familiar with the 6 string electric violin and my unique approach with it. The new piece is astoundingly beautiful with accessible tunes and grooves and full of brilliant orchestral color and counterpoint.  A crowning work in the long career of an American treasure.

Between the Kiss and the Chaos

The main feature of my upcoming recording is a chamber version of my 2nd violin concerto, “Between the Kiss and the Chaos”. This is a 5 movement work, each movement based on an iconic masterpiece of visual art. The arrangement is for string quartet and electric violin and I’m thrilled to be recording it with the Calder Quartet. The recording will also include a collection of 4 original solo compositions called 4 Scenes. Set for Oct 2012 release.

Masters

Here’s what else I’m working on these days. It’s a collaboration with puppeteer, singer, artist Brian Hull. It will be a 90 min work for Performing Arts Centers, with live video and a musical ensemble of myself, string quartet and percussion.