Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as "vivid, dramatic" and described by The Seattle Times as "a real talent," Shuying Li writes bold, emotionally charged music that blends rich colors with compelling storytelling. Originally from China, she began her training at the Shanghai Conservatory before earning a scholarship to the Hartt School and going on to complete her master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan. Her works have been performed by the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Alarm Will Sound, and many others worldwide. She is currently on the faculty at California State University, Sacramento.

In this conversation, Shuying and Tyler trace her unlikely path to composition — from a medical family in China, to a spontaneous cross-country audition tour, to the culture shock of arriving at the Hartt School and hearing for the first time that she could simply write whatever she wanted. They talk about the long, slow process of unlearning the need to impress and finding music as a means of connection instead, the universal stories that anchor her work, and how founding the Four Corners Ensemble reshaped her understanding of collaboration. They also get into her compositional process, her recent push to fold jazz, blues, minimalism, and EDM into her concert music, and her belief that a finished score is only about half the piece — the rest belonging equally to performers and audiences.

Learn more about Shuying and her work at https://www.shuyingli.com/

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday! Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.com

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Described by Wire Magazine as "one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the free music scene in recent years," Jessica Ackerley has built a distinctive voice across 25 releases as a bandleader and co-leader, working with labels such as Innova, AKP Recordings, and 577 Records. Their music has earned acclaim from Pitchfork, BBC Radio, and Wire Magazine, appearing on multiple critics' year-end lists. They have received commissions from Bang on a Can, NYSFA, and New Music USA; a nomination for the Academy of Arts and Letters Music Composition Award; and residencies at Banff Center for the Arts, the International Gugak Workshop in Seoul, and the Arctic Circle Residency.

In this conversation, Jessica and Tyler trace the arc of Ackerley's artistic life — from rural Alberta to doctoral studies at the University of Hawaii — digging into a compositional process that begins not with notation but with drawing, and a musical identity that refuses easy categorization. They discuss graphic notation as a tool for equity and collaboration, how Jessica's roots in jazz and rock quietly surface in music written for contemporary ensembles, and the lasting impact of the Arctic Circle Residency on their work. The episode closes with Jessica reflecting on a label that follows them everywhere — "experimental" — and why they wish people would pause before reaching for it.

Learn more about Jessica at https://www.jessicaackerley.com/

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Nicky's music is jazz-inflected and rhythmically driven, with vivid, colorful orchestration that tends to win over a room. Her work spans orchestral, chamber, ballet, and vocal repertoire, and has been performed by the St. Louis Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Korea, and many others. Recent highlights include a sold-out Guitar Concerto No. 1 with the Albany Symphony featuring guitarist Bokyung Byun — later presented at the 2025 Tanglewood Music Festival — a large-scale ballet for BalletCollective premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Galaxy Back to You for the Balourdet Quartet, featured on their debut album. This season brings three new orchestral premieres with the Atlanta Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and Orchestra Lumos.

In this conversation, Nicky traces her path from an early piano start to a pivotal turn toward composition, through burnout, a reset in Berlin, and a supportive chapter at Rice/Houston. She and Tyler talk about community as the engine of her practice, storytelling drawn from Korean folktales, and writing with broader listenability in mind. Nicky also shares how a love of jazz shapes her sense of motion and harmony, and how a weekday “9–5” routine, boundaries, and life outside music have brought balance—and new brightness—to her work.

Learn more about Nicky and hear her music at https://www.nickysohn.com/.

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Christopher’s music is deeply rooted in the landscapes of the American West, shaped by his upbringing in rural Montana and informed by a sensitivity to sound, space, and place. A Guggenheim Fellow and Rome Prize recipient, his work has been performed by ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alarm Will Sound, and the American Composers Orchestra. His output spans concert music and film, all marked by a vivid sense of atmosphere and attention to sonic detail.

In this conversation, Christopher reflects on how landscape, identity, and environment intertwine in his work, and on the ways patience, revision, and trust guide his process. He and Tyler talk about how his small-town beginnings and self-taught guitar playing led to a life in composition, and how that early curiosity evolved through mentorship and teaching. They discuss residencies as spaces for artistic renewal, the balance between individuality and "finding your people" in the contemporary music world, and how creative work can carry the imprint of the places we come from.

Christopher and his work can be found online at: https://christopher-stark.com/

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Described by PATRON Magazine as “a force multiplier with more talents than time,” Anuj creates music that moves between visceral grooves, meditative textures, narrative depth, and a fluid mix of acoustic and electronic sound. A first-generation Indian American, his work often inhabits liminal spaces—drawing from classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer-songwriter, and electronic traditions—and engages deeply with theater, dance, and film.

His music has been performed by Beth Morrison Projects, MATA, the American Composers Orchestra, The Crossing, and artists across a broad spectrum of new music. He has received awards from Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Verdigris, Nief-Norf, and organizations nationwide, with recent residencies at Loghaven, Avaloch, Banff, Atlantic Center for the Arts, VCCA, and others.

In this conversation, Anuj traces a nonlinear path into music—moving from metal bands and DIY songwriting to psychology studies, then into community college and formal composition training. He and Tyler talk about how personal history, cultural identity, and in-between spaces have shaped his voice; how genre-fluid listening opened new artistic possibilities; and how curiosity, intuition, and narrative emerge as guiding forces in his process. They also discuss the evolving performance practice behind his work, what it means to hold multiple musical worlds at once, and how storytelling—especially in his project Manu—is opening the door to new creative directions.

Anuj is online at https://www.anujbhutani.com/

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Kurt lives and works in San Francisco on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land. Their practice is animated by the question of how “failure” and “catastrophe” can be folded into the pursuit of beauty. They serve as Artistic Advisor with Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Artistic Director of the Composers Conference, and teach composition at UC Davis. Honors include the Rome Prize, Berlin Prize, fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute and Guggenheim Foundation, and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Barlow, Fromm, Hanson, Koussevitzky, New Music USA, Chamber Music America, and Creative Capital. Kurt also leads initiatives that open doors for composers at different stages of life and access — from Pathways and the Left Coast Commission Fund to The Farewell Tour Project, commissioning new works for viola.

In this conversation, Kurt traces an artistic life that began with home-grown notation experiments on the viola and widened through formative mentorships, a reset in contemporary performance at Stony Brook, and a return to composing in San Francisco. They and Tyler talk about collaboration as a lifeline, rebuilding institutions with more transparent and humane processes, and what it takes to make work that feels honest in public. Kurt reflects on how visual art and graphic notation have shaped their scores over time in surprising ways; how teaching, listening, and community inform their values; and why sincerity — even when it risks failure — remains the core of their practice.

Kurt is online at https://www.kurtrohde.com/

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Beginning as a classical pianist, Sugar spent nearly a decade honing her voice; today her kinesthetic, improvisatory practice integrates sound, movement, and theater. She writes and performs solo works for piano and electronics and co-leads Vanity Project with Trevor Gureckis. A proud second-generation Filipinx American, she’s developing Antonym: the opposite of nostalgia (supported by NPN Creation Fund and MAPFund; co-commissioned by Living Arts Tulsa, High Concept Labs, and National Sawdust, premiering 2026 with her ensemble sugar vendil/isogram). Her commissions include work for Jennifer Koh’s Alone Together, The Nouveau Classical Project, ETHEL’s Homebaked, and ACF | Create; her album May We Know Our Own Strength is out on Gold Bolus.

In this conversation, Sugar and Tyler trace how movement, breath, and physical instinct shape her compositions; the shift from championing new music to composing her own; and how identity and agency inform an interdisciplinary practice across acoustic and electronic work. They dig into the seeds of Antonym, the body-forward “new virtuosity” she’s cultivating at the piano, collaborative processes that keep the work alive, and why she prefers the deeper connection of a newsletter over social platforms.

Sugar and her work can be found online at https://sugarvendil.com/, and you can subscribe to Sugar's newsletter at https://sugarvendil.com/eletter

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer and avant-folk vocalist Annika Socolofsky.

Annika’s music erupts from the embodied power of the human voice, moving between orchestral works, folk ballads, and unabashed Dolly Parton covers. Her “feminist rager-lullabies” reclaim lullaby texts for a new queer era, and she’s written for ensembles including Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, and the Albany Symphony. She is Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Colorado Boulder.

In this conversation, Annika traces the experiences that shaped her creative life—from discovering composition in high school and witnessing the Silk Road Ensemble’s genre-defying energy, to finding her voice as both composer and singer.

She and Tyler talk about collaboration as resistance to the myth of the “lone genius,” what it means to make “lower-case-c” music with joy and play, and how writing and performing her own work became a space for identity, activism, and emotional honesty. They also discuss her Hardanger d’amore fiddle, her piece Turadh, and the power of vulnerability at the heart of her art.

Annika is online at www.aksocolofsky.com

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Michael is a Black and Latino composer whose work blends jazz, birdsong, hip-hop, and improvisation into a musical language rich in harmony, gesture, and emotional depth. His music has been performed by ensembles including Strings & Hammers, OSSIA New Music, Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings, and Birds on a Wire.

In this conversation, Michael shares how embracing his cultural identity became a central part of his artistic voice. He and Tyler discuss how jazz phrasing informs his sense of musical time, how he approaches emotional connection in his work, and how his creative confidence has grown through writing music that feels fully personal and grounded in who he is.

Michael is online at https://www.michaelfraziermusic.com/.

music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Beyza is a Turkish pianist, composer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work blends her cultural roots with global influences, improvisation, and visual storytelling. Her 2024 album Human Cocoon was selected as The Guardian’s contemporary album of the month, and she continues to expand her artistic practice across multiple disciplines while based in New York City.

In this conversation, Beyza shares how improvisation opened the door to her work as a composer, how her Turkish upbringing and experiences in New York shape her creative voice, and how mindfulness informs both her music and visual art. She and Tyler also discuss learning to quiet the inner critic, trusting instinct, and how even small acts of creation can offer quiet forms of resistance.

Beyza and her work can be found online at https://www.beyzayazgan.com/

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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A visual artist turned ceramicist, Sinclaire’s practice centers atmospheric firing (wood, soda, raku), functional forms, and a tactile language of texture, intention, and use. Based at Queen City Clay in Norwood, one of the country’s largest community clay studios, she has found both space and support to expand her practice through teaching, residencies, and community firings.

In this conversation, Sinclaire talks about the information a pot carries—throwing lines, flashing, ash, weight, rim, glaze traces—and why she leaves the marks of process visible as a kind of memory. She discusses integrating cedar (a Diné practice of cleansing and balance) by rolling its pattern into clay, and how listening to fire changes what pots become. Along the way: community wood-firings, the barter/trade ethos, teaching as a welcoming space, and the ongoing discipline of showing up to the studio.

Sinclaire and her work can be found at: https://sinclairemarie.com/

Learn more about Queen City Clay at: https://www.queencityclay.com/

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Charly Daniels is a Mexican composer based in Mexico City whose work spans orchestral and chamber music, film, dance, and symphonic band. His music has been performed both nationally and internationally by groups such as the Mexico City Woodwind Quintet, Arizona Woodwind Quintet, Borderlands Ensemble, and major orchestras throughout Mexico. His orchestral career accelerated after winning first prize at the Future Symphony Competition in Lithuania in 2020.

In this conversation, Charly reflects on his unusual path into composing — from sequencing music as a teenager with no formal theory training, to discovering orchestral music as his creative home. He and Tyler discuss how Mexico City’s energy shapes his work, how synesthesia influences his harmonic and timbral language, and why he strives to write music that creates emotional sensations rather than memorable themes. They also talk about artistic confidence, creative non-linearity, and the delicate balance between ambition and process.

Charly and his music can be found online at https://www.charlesphilipdanielstorres.com/

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Caterina is based in Dublin, Ireland, where her music traverses harmonic exploration, literary inspiration, multidisciplinary intersections, and symbolic meaning. She recently released her debut album Sea Salt & Turpentine on Ergodos, and her works have been performed by ensembles such as Ficino Ensemble, Chamber Choir Ireland, Lumiere Quartet, and Spilliaert Trio.

In this conversation, Caterina reflects on her path into composing, beginning music later in life, and navigating both academic and commercial pressures to find her personal voice. She and Tyler discuss how literature and text-writing have become central to her practice, how symbolism informs her musical decisions, and how introspection, identity, and creative discipline fuel her artistic life.

Caterina and her music can be found online at https://www.caterinaschembri.com/.

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Nicolás is a 2024–25 Guggenheim Fellow whose music has been commissioned by the LA Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, West Edge Opera, and many more. His work spans opera, orchestral, and chamber music, often drawing on cultural history, folk storytelling, and regional memory. Upcoming projects include Dolores, an opera about civil rights icon Dolores Huerta premiering in 2025, as well as new commissions for Eighth Blackbird, the LA Phil, and an album with Friction Quartet and mezzo-soprano Melinda Martinez Becker.

In this conversation, Nicolás reflects on why his music is rooted in curiosity and dialogue rather than autobiography. He shares stories of writing about cottonwoods and irrigation, sage grouse and New Mexican Catholic folk figures — and how that exploration connects to his own family and heritage. He also speaks candidly about the opera process, the challenge of revision, and how working with brilliant collaborators has helped him embrace humility, growth, and a sense of purpose in the work.

Find out more about Nicolás and his work at https://nicolasbenavides.com/

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Graeme’s work blends elements of the Lutheran music tradition, the avant-garde, and old-world folk influences, often infusing humor, repetition, and audible process into his music. He is also the co-founder of the Vital Organ Project, a nonprofit promoting new music for the organ and providing interactive educational opportunities for audiences.

In this conversation, Graeme reflects on how his creative voice has evolved, how his work as a church musician has shaped his priorities as a composer, and how community and humor have become throughlines in his artistic practice. He and Tyler also dive into the world of organ improvisation, the ways old music continues to inform new work, and why eccentricity can open doors for audiences.

music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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Yue Song is a Chinese composer and pianist based in Dublin, Ireland. Her music spans opera, orchestra, chamber, choral, and electronic works, and has been performed internationally by ensembles such as Crash Ensemble, ConTempo Quartet, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

In this conversation, Yue reflects on her creative path from studying composition in China to finding her artistic voice in Ireland. She and Tyler discuss how nature, emotional honesty, and experimentation shape her music; how she balances theory and intuition; and how collaborative projects — including her growing body of opera work — continue to expand her practice.

Learn more about Yue and listen to her music at yuesongusic.com.

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Filmmaker and visual artist C. Jacqueline Wood creates intimate, deeply personal work across moving image, installation, and documentary forms. Her work has screened nationally, including at the Athens International Film and Video Festival, and she was the founder of The Mini Microcinema — a non-profit space dedicated to showcasing independent and experimental film.

In this episode, Jacqueline reflects on the emotional honesty at the core of her creative process. She and host Tyler Kline discuss the role of light and duration in her work, and how her latest film became a meditation on unfinished projects, infertility, and creative loss. She reflects on navigating the tension between analog and digital media, processing personal experience through film, and embracing artistic freedom outside traditional systems.

Jacqueline's work can be viewed online at https://www.projectplane.com/

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In this episode, Marc traces his creative path from improvising at the piano as a kid to becoming a leading voice in contemporary music. He and host Tyler Kline discuss the value of beautifully engraved scores, why writing music that’s fun to play has fueled his success, and how his connection to Romania has shaped both his personal and artistic life.

For more on all things Marc, visit marcmellits.com.

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music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!

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This time, he turns the tables on himself and answers the same questions he usually asks his guests: What is your first artistic memory? What are the pillars of your creative practice? What artistic artifacts changed your creative world? Tyler explores these questions and more in a candid, personal conversation to open the new season.

Tyler can be found online at tylerklinemusic.com.

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New episodes debut Thursday, May 15, 2025 – and release every other Thursday.

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In Part 2 of this conversation, Austin shares his thoughts on craft versus artistry and discusses the role of the Jurassic Park film score along his artistic journey.

Listen to Part 1 here.

Find out more about Austin on his website, https://www.austinhammonds.com/.

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With a seamless fusion of neo-classical orchestral mastery and contemporary production flair, composer Austin Hammonds delivers a contemporary twist on a timeless sound. Drawing from a deep well of musical influences spanning centuries, Hammonds intricately bridges colors and textures the past and the present, offering stories a fresh perspective on the enduring beauty of orchestral music.

Hammonds remains steadfast in his dedication to projects that allow him to explore the full spectrum of orchestral expression. Whether crafting traditional orchestral landscapes or pushing the boundaries with innovative and less-traditional scores, he is driven by a profound belief in the power of collaboration. 

This episode is the podcast's very first two-parter, and it is a deep dive into the world of film scoring. In this conversation, Austin and Tyler discuss their similar backgrounds–and how that starting point led them toward different paths entirely–plus, Austin shares thoughts on the importance of his composition mentors, and we touch on the role of taste in Austin’s work, as well as matters of process and philosophy as it pertains to collaborating with directors and producers.

Find out more about Austin on his website, https://www.austinhammonds.com/.

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Born in Tehran in 1984, Mahdis Golzar Kashani is an internationally acclaimed Iranian composer and pianist whose work has earned her recognition across prestigious stages and institutions worldwide. She began studying piano at the age of six under the guidance of renowned musician Javad Maroufi and Art and Literature School of IRIB, and gave her first solo concert at 14 at Seda va Sima University. Although she initially pursued a degree in electronic engineering at Azad University, her deep-rooted passion for music led her to switch paths and obtain an M.A. in composition from Sooreh Art University.

Over the years, Mahdis has performed at prominent festivals and venues globally, including the Classical to Contemporary Music Festival in Tehran, the 4020 Music Festival in Austria, and piano recitals at Niyavaran Hall. She has also collaborated with the chorus of Vahdat Concert Hall at Roudaki Hall and participated in international composition workshops such as the Heidelberg Festival in Germany and the Oxford Song Festival in the UK. Her work has been commissioned by prestigious institutions like the Campus Lemmens Instituut LUCA in Belgium, further cementing her place in the global classical music community, Hermes Ensemble, Hypercube Ensemble, Sitkovetsky Trio, Haft Craft Ensemble, Woodwork Reed Quintet, and Babylone Orchestra. 

In this discussion, Mahdis talks about her journey as a composer, which led her from her native Iran to living and working in Europe. She also tells this powerful story about what led her to decide on being a composer as a career, and shares an in-depth background of challenges she has faced being from Iran and how that has influenced her life and artistic trajectory.

Mahdis is online at https://mahdisgolzarkashani.com/

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Dr. Chris Opperman wields a special array of expertise. He is a composer of wildly original music, a top orchestrator and arranger, a dedicated and visionary educator, and a trusted advisor for an incredible cross-section of the music industry.

Since starting his Purple Cow Records label in 1998, Dr. Opperman has released seven albums including 2023’s Still Waters, a solo piano album celebrating Winter, and 2010’s The Lionheart, an orchestral rock album. He has also released three EP’s including 2022’s Four Improvisations which feature studio-manipulated piano works, and two singles including “And If You Know” featuring Robert Martin.

Chris holds a Ph. D. In Music Composition and has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses on music theory and composition, popular and classical music history, music technology, and the music industry. 

Chris is a fascinating musician who basically has one foot in the commercial music industry, and one foot in the contemporary concert world. In this conversation, he discusses the influence of Frank Zappa on his music, and his life. He and Tyler also talk about the variety of music that Chris makes and why that’s important to his creative ethos… and how he’s been able to forge his unique path throughout his career.

Learn more about Chris and listen to his music on his website: https://www.chrisopperman.net/.

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Composer, violist and vocalist Hannah Selin works with acoustic instruments, voices, electronics and field recordings to create striking and vibrant sound-worlds. She grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania helping her parents caretake a cemetery and listening to her mother write songs on scordatura guitar. Her music carries from this a sense of the supernatural, a closeness with the earth, and a love all things resonant. Hannah is co-founder and lead singer with the band GADADU, and violist and founding member of Xanthoria Quartet and Violalia Duo. As a violist, Hannah performs with chamber groups and orchestras throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Hannah’s music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles and soloists including Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Ave Sol Chamber Choir, Chromic Duo, S.E.M. Ensemble, Argus Quartet, Network for New Music, and vocalist Stephanie Lamprea. Her choral work “Winter” from Four Mountain Songs won second prize in the 2021 Balsys International Composition Competition, as well as the 2022 Red Jasper Award. Dream Journal and the Apocalypse, her debut album as a composer, was released in April 2024 on Gold Bolus Recordings. In the 2024/25 season, Hannah is working on new commissions for CreArtBox, Kamratōn, SPLICE, and pianist Kathleen Supové with support from the Puffin Foundation and the New York State Council for the Arts. Hannah holds a PhD in composition from Temple University and currently teaches at Rowan University.

In this conversation, Hannah discusses how her entry point into music composition was quite a bit different than maybe most people's and how she works with manipulating sound to discover interesting musical material. Nature is also a significant part of Hannah’s creative process, and she and Tyler get into the weeds about that… and bond over their mutual love of Italo Calvino.

Hannah is online at https://hannahselin.com/.

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Carlynn Crosby is a writer and editor based in Gainesville, Florida, where her interests range from archival research on Florida food and culture to experimental forms of fiction and memoir. She currently works in book publishing and is pursuing a PhD in literature. She has been described as "decent."

Carlynn is a storyteller–she tells stories about Florida places and people, and she and Tyler dig deeply into what that means for her. They also talk quite a bit about food in this conversation, primarily how writing about food can be a catalyst to springboard into other kinds of cultural and societal topics.

You can learn more about Carlynn on her website, https://carlynncrosby.com and read some of her writing on her Substack newsletter at https://growninflorida.substack.com/.

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Roger Zare has been praised for his “enviable grasp of orchestration” by the New York Times and for writing music with “formal clarity and an alluringly mercurial surface.” He was born in Sarasota, FL, and has written for a wide variety of ensembles, from solo instruments to full orchestra. 

Often inspired by science, mathematics, literature, and mythology, his colorfully descriptive and energetic works have been performed on six continents by such ensembles as the American Composers Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Australian-based Trio Anima Mundi, the Donald Sinta Quartet, and the New York Youth Symphony.

This conversation is an absolute deep dive into all sorts of scientific topics, but there's no need to worry. You’ll quickly realize that Roger speaks about these things in a down-to-earth way, which serves him well in his creative practice. Much of Roger’s work involves connecting complex matters with musical audiences and, in some cases, young musicians. 

Roger also discusses his musical roots growing up in Sarasota, his first experience as a composer at a very young age, and how his focus on large ensemble writing has shaped his pathway as a composer.

Roger and his work can be found online at rogerzare.com.

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//

On today's episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by Mat Campbell.

A native of the Rio Grande Valley in Deep South Texas, Mathew “Mat” Aaron Campbell graduated with a BM-Education from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and received High Honors upon completion of a double MM-Composition and Conducting from Oklahoma City University. As an award-winning composer, his works have been performed at national conventions and across the United States and the world.

As a conductor, he has conducted orchestras, wind ensembles, choirs, and chamber ensembles in world premieres of his and his colleagues’ music at regional, state, and international events. As an educator and arranger/sound designer for the marching arts, Mat has served students of all ages in their journey as musicians. Lastly, he is a media composer that specializes in writing music for video games and films of varying length.

Mat wears many different hats as a creator, and he and Tyler dig deep into the various facets of his career in this conversation. Mat also shares his journey from the small town he grew up in in the Rio Grande Valley to today, some thoughts on recent notation software news, and how he elevates the young musicians who play his music into the concepts he explores in his work.

Mat and his music can be found online at https://www.matcampbell.com/.

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Award-winning composer Han Hitchen writes for a wide range of genres, spanning across various acoustic and electroacoustic settings. His music is informed by his experiences as a queer person, and draws inspiration from socially taboo topics that he hopes to bring attention to, such as menstruation cycles, family discourse, death/mortality, and reproductive rights.

Hitchen graduated with an MM in Composition and Theory from Penn State University, where they studied with Baljinder Singh Sekhon, II and Sarah Genevieve Burghart Rice. During their time at Penn State, he served as Vice President for Living Music, a student organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of music by living composers. He was also a graduate facilitator of the discussion group Beyond the Binary at the Penn State’s Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Since Han’s identity is so intrinsic to his creative expression, a significant chunk of this conversation is focused on that. Han also talks about those taboo topics that he explores in his music, as well as the ways he champions marginalized folks within and outside of his music.

Han and his music can be found online at https://hanhitchen.com/.

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Named by The Guardian as a composer "who will enrich your life", Shruthi Rajasekar is an Indian-American musician exploring identity, community, and joy. A 2023 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, Shruthi draws from her unique dual background in the Carnatic (South Indian classical) and Western classical traditions to create intersectional music.

She was awarded the Global Women in Music Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights & Donne in Musica Adkins Chiti Foundation. Shruthi has been an artist-in-residence at Tusen Takk Foundation, Britten Pears Arts, and the Anderson Center. As a soprano and Carnatic vocalist, Shruthi has performed and recorded in numerous traditional and experimental settings. She was a Marshall Scholar in the UK, where she pursued postgraduate studies in composition and ethnomusicology. A graduate of Princeton University, Shruthi lives in Minnesota and serves on the board of new music chamber ensemble Zeitgeist.

In this conversation, Tyler takes a deep dive into Shruthi’s intercultural identity and work, and a significant part of this discussion is Shruthi sharing her journey as a musician with roots in Carnatic music and how that has melded with her work as a Western classical composer over time. 

She and Tyler also talk a bit about gatekeeping issues in the contemporary music field, how composers might consider placing more emphasis on process rather than product, and what experimentation means to her in her work.

You can learn more about Shruthi and listen to her music at https://www.shruthirajasekar.com.

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Nathan Hudson is a composer, educator, performer and curator living in Charlotte, NC. His music has been called “…simple, yet cinematic” and “Tonal-lyrical-primal-old/new-synthetic and partakes of a rhapsodical quality in new ways…”. 

His debut album, ‘music for falling and flying’, in collaboration with author Ben Loory is set to release this fall. Nathan is currently on the music faculty at Central Piedmont Community College, and is the managing director for the Next Generation Trumpet Competition. When he’s not composing, he enjoys thinking deeply about coffee, playing disc golf, and spending time with his wife and three cats.

In this conversation, Nathan discusses the thread from his childhood making music in church and how that expanded into the music he makes today; all the ways he cultivates community as both a composer and a trumpet player; and his close collaborations with the author Ben Loory.

Nathan is online at nathanhudsonmusic.com.

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Emily Koh is a Singaporean composer-bassist based in Atlanta, Georgia whose music reimagines everyday experiences by sonically expounding tiny oft-forgotten details, and explores binary states such as extremities/boundaries and activity/stagnation. She especially enjoys collaborating with creatives of other specializations.

In this conversation, Emily discusses her Singaporean roots, including how essentially all students had to produce a composition portfolio as part of their education. She also talks about how collaboration brings out the best in her work, and Emily and Tyler have an extended discussion towards the end geeking out about food and drawing all kinds of connections between food and music.  

Emily is online at emilykoh.net.

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Phong Tran is a Brooklyn-based composer and visual artist primarily working in digital and electronic mediums. His work revolves around emotional experience in digital and nonphysical spaces. Phong’s solo work has been released through New Amsterdam Records, people | places | records, and slashsound. 

Collaborative works of his have been release by Carrier Records, Bright Shiny Things, Gold Bolus Records, and Records to Burn. Notable performances include Bang on a Can’s 2022 Long Play Festival at Public Records, Loud Weekend at MassMOCA, Momentous Festival at The Momentary.

In this conversation, Phong shares what led him to dive into electronic music in the first place and what that artistic transformation was like; how he views ocmposition as a form of journaling - and even therapy; and why creating emotional space in his creative work is so important.

Phong can be found online at phongmusic.com.

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Hannah Jane Boissonneault is a composer-performer and touring musician based in Austin, Texas. Through her work as a composer, bassist and vocalist of her band Blank Slate and her multi-genre project Feels Like Honey, Hannah strives to create music that entwines the communities she is a part of.

Hannah has been commissioned by ensembles such as the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. She was a fellow for the Gabriela Lena Frank Academy of Music, participated in the Sō Percussion Summer Institute, and the Unheard of Ensemble Collaborative Composition Initiative. She has participated in reading sessions with ensembles such as Roomful of Teeth.

Hannah is endorsed by Balaguer Guitars, and she recently toured with Silent Planet as the bassist and clean vocalist in Spirit Breaker. She holds her Bachelor of Music in Composition from Michigan State University and her Master of Music in Composition from the University of Michigan.

In this conversation, Hannah shares the unique threads that came together for her when it was time to major in music composition; how she balances her work as a performer with being a composer - and how she does it across genre and style - and how she sees simply thinking about music as a valid part of the composition process.

Hannah is online at https://hannahboissonneault.com/.

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Gabriel José Bolaños Chamorro is a Nicaraguan/American composer of solo, chamber, orchestral and electroacoustic music. He frequently collaborates closely with performers, and enjoys writing music that explores unusual techniques, structures, and timbres. He is interested in computer-assisted-composition, auditory perception, linguistics, graphic notation, improvisation, and modular synthesizers.

Gabriel is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Composition at Arizona State University, where he teaches courses in composition, analysis, music technology, and acoustics, and co-directs the PRISMS contemporary music festival. He received a BA in music from Columbia University and a PhD in Composition and Theory from UC Davis.

In this conversation Tyler and Gabriel cover a lot of ground, and get into the weeds a bit with some pretty academic topics… but first, Gabriel discusses how the guitar was the entry point into music; his Nicaraguan roots, and how that does - and, maybe more importantly, does not - influence his music; how he leverages computer-based tools to assist him in his compositional practices; and lots, lots more.

Gabriel and his music can be found online at https://gabrielbolanos.com/.

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Polish of Vietnamese descent composer and pianist, Ania Vu (née Vũ Đặng Minh Anh) writes music that explores the interplay between the sound properties of the words and their meanings, musical energy related to form, and varied notions of time. She also enjoys crafting her own text that serves as a sonic, formal, and expressive guiding reference in her musical writing process.

Her music has been described by the Boston Globe as an exhibition of "artful vocal writing [that] ranges from percussive whispers to glinting, pure-voiced lines that [...] blended elegantly into the roiling cauldron of strings.” Ania is the 2024 Composer-in-Residence at the Chelsea Music Festival, and has received recognition and fellowships from the American Opera Project, ASCAP, Copland House, Tanglewood, the Boston New Music Initiative, and the I-Park Foundation.

In this conversation, Ania shares what it was like growing up with a mom who is also a composer; how her multicultural background and interest in languages manifests in her music; the role of time as a philosophy in her practice; and so much more.

You can find Ania online at https://ania.vu.

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On today's episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by Daijana Wallace. 

Daijana Wallace is a composer and educator based in Wichita, KS. Her music is an outward reflection of her own introspection, drawing inspiration from any and every thought that crosses her mind from the mundane aspects of daily life to specific memories about a percussive upstairs neighbor. 

Daijana’s compositions have been heard at venues such as Wichita Art Museum, and MASS MoCA, as well as PASIC and International Society of Basses conferences. Daijana holds Bachelors’ Degrees and a Master’s Degrees from Wichita State University and Michigan State University respectively. When she’s not busy composing, she’s teaching music in the greater Wichita area.

Daijana and Tyler wade into some complex and heavy subjects in this conversation: She shares how tragedy sparked her journey as a composer, the struggles she faced in her work after George Floyd's untimely demise, and what it took to bounce back from an ensuing artistic slump. Daijana also talks about how intentionality is a big part of her compositional thinking and even get to talk about some of her hobbies.

(Note: Daijana is pronounced Day-on-a, like spending a day-on-a beach.)

Daijana is online at https://www.daijanawallace.com.

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James May is a composer, improviser, teacher, photographer, and writer. His work explores unfurling, fragile spaces through notated scores, improvisation environments, live electronics, field recordings, extended vocal technique, and text. He’s especially interested in combining techniques to encourage the exploration of new sounds or generate unpredictable systems in which performers can dwell. 

He’s a member of Versipel New Music in New Orleans, has published writing in Sound American and RTÉ Culture, taught courses on music production techniques and field recording at Tulane University, and is an active free improviser in the Gulf South. James is beginning a PhD in Music and Multimedia Composition at Brown University in the fall of 2024.

In this conversation, James shares how studying composition as an undergrad was really his only option to pursue music as a career - a departure from the typical path of music education or performance; he and Tyler bond over the way each of us entered the world of electronic music; he discusses the transformative year he spent studying Experimental Sound Design in Cork, Ireland; how he broke away from approaching free improvisation with a composer’s perspective and how that, in turn, influences his compositional work today; and so, so much more.

James can be found online at jamesmaycomposer.com.

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Anna Huffka is the owner and operator of [the iki movement], an all-inclusive hair studio based in Lexington, KY where they’ll pamper you in just about any way you can imagine, offering everything from hair sculpting - yes, sculpting, not cutting - to hair coloring, and lots other services to help you feel your best self.

As you can imagine, this episode is a bit of a departure from the usual fare you hear on music/Maker, but don’t worry - it’s all good stuff. Anna and Tyler cover a lot of ground in a short bit of time, like how - when in elementary school - she would help cut her grandma’s hair, the influence of her Japanese heritage on her creative practice and business, the differences between styling individuals in a salon versus styling models for a fashion show - and so much more.

You can check out Anna's work on her studio's Instagram page @theikimovement.

More information about [the iki movement] is on their website, https://www.theikimovement.com/.

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Joshua Mallard is an award-winning composer currently residing in Austin, Texas. Joshua's eclectic body of work seeks to reshape musical idioms and embrace experimentation. His work consists of music for game, film, and classical music.He has worked with companies and studios such as Blipsounds, Super Evil Megacrop, E-Line Media, Lunchbox Entertainment, and Critcrew, and his music has been performed internationally by a variety of ensembles, including HyperCube and Rote Hund Muzik.

In this conversation, Joshua and Tyler dig into all things music and sound design for video games through the lens of the work Joshua does in that space… but he also discuss how he views himself as a bit of a musical chameleon, and how he operates in the very different worlds of contemporary concert music and game music.

Joshua is online at https://www.joshuamallard.com/.

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Sean Hamilton is a percussionist, composer, improviser, and audio engineer whose creative practice focuses on hybrids of the improvised and the composed. His interests are rooted in avant-garde and experimental music, free improvisation, electronic and electroacoustic music, noise, punk and metal, and sound art.

Sean has performed in over thirty states and six countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Austria, with notable performances including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Skronk Sessions, the Racer Sessions, MOXSonic, and the SEAMUS National Conference. He has also presented work at the Asheville and Orlando Fringe Festivals, the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Art in Odd Places Orlando, WKCR-FM New York, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Since 2019, Sean has been based in western Colorado, where much of his time is spent traveling in his converted campervan for creative and recreational activities. In that time, he has covered nearly 100,000 miles, touching corners of the United States ranging from Seattle to San Diego and New England to Key West, with significant time in the high deserts and mountains of Colorado. He also enjoys 35mm film photography, tinkering with hands-on projects, and snowboarding.

In this conversation, Sean discusses his roots playing drums for a war reenactment as a kid; his interests and influences as a drummer and composer; how he listens critically to nuance in sound; and much, much more.

Sean is online at http://www.seanhamiltonmusic.com/

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music/Maker with Tyler Kline on the web: https://www.looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

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Vanessa Ague is a Brooklyn-based violinist and arts journalist who primarily writes about experimental, contemporary classical, and improvised music. She’s written for The Wire, Bandcamp Daily, Pitchfork, the Quietus, The Brooklyn Rail, WNYC’s New Sounds, WQXR, Texas Monthly, and Musicworks, among others. Since 2017, she’s been running the blog The Road to Sound, where she covers experimental music and the artists who make it. She’s particularly interested in guitars, drones, electronics, and the intersection of all three.

In this discussion, Tyler and Vanessa talk about everything from Hayao Miyazaki films to Radiohead albums, some of the inner workings of arts journalism, why curiosity is not just a good trait for music writers but for everyone, and much more.

Vanessa's portfolio is online at https://vanessakayague.com

Vanessa's blog is at https://theroadtosound.com

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music/Maker with Tyler Kline on the web: https://www.looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

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Dr. Brett Copeland is a tuba player, educator, composer, and music technologist who holds the position of Associate Adjunct Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Northern Iowa where he teaches Applied Lessons, Low Brass Techniques, directs the UNITUBA ensemble, and teaches a course on Electronic Composition. 

Brett's artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he recently co-authored The Creative Listener with other members of NewStream Brass, an innovative method book aimed at providing a resource for music educators to teach audiation and improvisation concepts effectively. Furthermore, his passion for composition shines through his acoustic and electro-acoustic works.

In this conversation, Brett and Tyler cover a lot of ground: Brett shares how he thinks about tuba with electronics and how that is different from how most tuba players might think of it; we reminisce about hanging out with friends at lunch in grad school, and how that’s impacted Brett’s musical thinking; how a composer might leverage AI to break out of their comfort zone; and what it’s like returning to his undergrad as a professor.

Brett is online at https://www.brettcopelandmusic.com/

His YouTube channel is also worth following, at https://www.youtube.com/@brettcopeland_music

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music/Maker with Tyler Kline on the web: https://www.looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

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Andrew Noseworthy is a multidisciplinary artist whose music reflects upon the acceptance/rejection of “locality” while drawing from lived experiences of isolation within his hometown of Labrador West and the tight-knit arts community of St John's (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada), along with the expansive post-genre scenes of New York City. His work addresses ideas of post-regional spaces and questions of accessibility for the musical voices within them.

In this conversation, Tyler asks Andrew about all of those points in his bio, which he discusses beautifully… but they also explore other topics related to Andrew's practice, such as his DIY spirit and alternative models of creation that are independent of institutional support, what sustainability and accessibility in a creative practice like composition might look like, and how music outside of the Western classical or contemporary classical repertoire impacts his work.

Andrew is online at https://www.anmusiccomposer.com/

Also check out people | places | records, the genrefluid DIY "zero profit" artists-first record label co-runs: https://peopleplacesrecords.bandcamp.com/

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music/Maker with Tyler Kline on the web: https://www.looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

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Shelley Washington has emerged as an important and powerful voice of her generation. Her music has been presented by leading ensembles including the Long Beach Opera company, Boston Lyric Opera company, the Kansas City Symphony, and in NPR’s Dolly Parton’s America podcast and Vox Media’s Explained on Netflix. Washington is an active performer and collaborator, co-founding the composer collective Kinds of Kings and performing in the Los Angeles based ensemble, Wild Up and in her Brooklyn-based band, Good Looking Friends. She is on faculty at New York University Steinhardt and completing her PhD at Princeton University. She lives in Brooklyn with her dog, Rodeo.

This is a really amazing and lengthy conversation, but it’s a good one: Shelley and Tyler talk discuss how she’s taken big swings and chances in her career; growing up in the Midwest and how that part of her identity filters into her music; her love of all things textile arts; the impact that her neurodivergency has had on her creative practice; how she turns her own opportunities into advocacy for other underrepresented artists; and lots, lots more.

Complete show notes for this episode, which include a transcript and additional helpful links, can be found at https://looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

Shelley is on the web at https://www.shelleywashington.com/

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If you’re not familiar with Emma or her music, you’re in for a real treat. There is definitely a quality to her work that could be described as magical: it’s buoyant, effervescent, nostalgic—there’s a lot of good in it, which is really a reflection of who she is as a person.

Irish composer Emma O’Halloran is interested in joy, wonder, hope, and connection, and her music is driven by a desire to capture the magic of what it means to be human. Freely intertwining acoustic and electronic music, Emma has written for folk musicians, chamber ensembles, turntables, laptop orchestra, symphony orchestra, opera, and theatre, and her work has been described as “intensely beautiful” by the Washington Post and “unencumbered, authentic, and joyful” by I Care If You Listen.

In this conversation, Emma and Tyler discuss how she views storytelling through music as a way of capturing emotions and hard-to-articulate feelings; her experience as a composer in both the US and in Ireland, and how those two countries are different for composers; the joys of collaborating with others; of course, her artistic path as a composer, and so much more.

Complete show notes for this episode, which include a transcript and additional helpful links, can be found at https://looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

Emma is on the web at https://www.emma-ohalloran.com/

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“Clearly knowing the power of sonority,” Baljinder Sekhon's music has been presented in over 600 concerts in 26 countries. From works for large ensembles to solo works to electronic music, Baljinder’s music demonstrates a wide range of genres and styles. He is Associate Professor of Music Composition at Penn State University.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Baljinder traces his journey from when he was a kid searching for something in his house that sounded like a snare drum, to his role as a percussionist for most of his early musical life - and why it took him a while to admit to being a composer - and how all of that has lead him to think about sound and music in some really fascinating ways.

Other topics of discussion include how he thinks about the business of composition, his work as a professor and teaching young composers not just how to compose, but how to be a composer holistically, and much more.

Complete show notes for this episode, which includes a transcript and additional helpful links, can be found at https://looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

Baljinder is on the web at https://sekhonmusic.com/

Find out more about the Penn State Composition Studio at https://sites.psu.edu/pennstatecomposition/

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In this series, Tyler will speak with creatives to dig deep into their artistic journey, tracing the path that has lead them to be the artists they are today. But what about his path? Today, Tyler shares his journey that led him to launch this podcast, starting way back when he played with stereos and tape recorders as a child. Listen to this introductory solo show to learn about host Tyler Kline and why it was important to expand his platform into the podcast space.

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Tyler Kline is a composer who has had the fortune of crossing paths with countless creators over the years. However, even as someone who creates himself, it took him years to realize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the path of artistry.

That’s where this podcast comes in: listeners are invited to join Tyler as he dives deep into the stories of brilliant composers, artisans, and makers, discovering what fuels their craft and creativity.

Each week, Tyler sits down with a maker to uncover what led them to become who they are as artists today. Whether it's a music maker, a craftsperson, a writer, a chef, or even a hair stylist, this podcast aims to shed some light on their unique journey and the inner workings of their creative spirit.

Listen to music/Maker with Tyler Kline, wherever you get podcasts.

music/Maker on the web: https://www.looseleaftransmissions.com/musicmaker

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