Music From Other Minds

On this Music from Other Minds, we listen to two works that engage with the intense reality of the dream-world as well as the Buddhist idea that the material world follows a cycle of birth and rebirth. For the first hour of this program that we’re calling Surreal Samsara, we’ll hear selections from the 2007 opera Wagner Dream, by British composer Jonathan Harvey. Wagner Dream is a reimagining of the last day of Wagner’s life; Harvey envisions the work that Wagner died attempting—an opera based on the life of the Buddha—as a long dream or vision that Wagner has as he moves toward death. Then, for the second hour, we’ll listen to guitarist Henry Kaiser’s 45-minute solo that forms part of Bill Laswell’s 2026 project Mt. Analogue, based on René Daumel’s posthumously-published 1952 surrealist novel, Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing.

Lebanese composer Sami Seif joins the program to talk about his work inspired by the aesthetics, philosophies, paradigms, and poetry of his Middle Eastern heritage, including his pieces Orientalism, Ode Phénicienne, and Harp Concerto. Also included are the recent releases …in the dreams of another… and I Hear the Sound of Trees by composer Kay Rhie and Always and Never the Same by the Norwegian group Ensemble neoN and composer and Hardanger fiddler Benedicte Maurseth.

On this broadcast, Other Minds Executive and Artistic Director Charles Amirkhanian takes us on a quixotic journey through a selection of rarely-heard pieces composed in the USA dating back nearly to the First Constitutional Convention of 1787. Featured Composers include Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, Daniel Gregory Mason, Ernst Krenek, Ned Rorem, and George Antheil. Also included is the piano sonatas of Alexander Reinagle, who will be featured on the Mavericks 250 concert series at Mills College in Oakland on July 20, 2026.

This program features solo performances, both composed and improvised, and includes music by Ornette Coleman, Rhodri Davies, Jason Kao Hwang, Jennifer Koh, Bun-Ching Lam, Alvin Lucier, Cass Meurig, Roscoe Mitchell, Katia Pesti, Elliot Sharp, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Theresa Wong. The program opens with the delightful Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin, composed in 1936 by 19-year-old Lou Harrison.

This program of Music from Other Minds features recently released recordings for string quartet, vocal ensemble, and more. Included are Evelyn Ficarra’s vagues / fenêtres, Wolfgang von Schweinitz’ Plainsound Motet for Ekmeles: “DADA NONO & REJOICE,” Ashot Zohrabyan’s String Quartet No. 3, and Nirmali Fenn’s When Apathy is Betrayal performed by Prague Modern with conductor Petr Louženský.

As a pianist in the 1950s David Tudor performed works by Boulez, Stockhausen, Feldman, and many other avant-garde composers. Most of John Cage’s piano pieces of this time were composed specifically for Tudor. By the end of the 1960s, Tudor had largely abandoned the piano, focusing on his own compositions and designing electronic instruments for live performance. This program includes music from throughout David Tudor’s career, including many pieces made for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and looks ahead to the Other Minds concerts June 26 & 27 with Composers Inside Electronics, a group founded by Tudor.

On this week’s program, Rachel Schonfeld will begin a series of programs taking a listen to the composers performing at our very own Other Minds Festival this year. The Festival will take place October 8th through the 11th at the Brava Theater in San Francisco. On this program, we take a look at the work of Juri Seo, pianist and composer, for the first hour and King Britt, electronic musician and composer, for the second.

This program features music for a variety of large ensembles, including Noah Meites’ Counting for large chamber ensemble, Cecilie Ore’s Erat Erit Est performed by the Oslo Sinfonetta, and Tigran Mansurian’s Requiem performed by the RIAS Chamber Choir and Munich Chamber Orchestra. Composer Tyler Taylor also joins the program to talk about his piece Permissions for symphony orchestra and the upcoming premiere of his piece Embers by the San Francisco Symphony.

This program spotlights compositions written in response to the work of Mark Rothko and features a recent recording of Tyshawn Sorey’s monochromatic light (afterlife), jointly commissioned by DACAMERA and the Rothko Chapel to celebrate the chapel’s 50th anniversary. The program also features DACAMERA’s recording of Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel—composed for the chapel’s opening—as well as poet John Taggart reading his 1985 work “The Rothko Chapel Poem” in the chapel. The program is rounded out with selections from Blues: The Dark Paintings of Mark Rothko, a 1990 album from experimental blues guitarist Loren Connors.

This program honors the extraordinary musical life of Michael Tilson Thomas. As Music Director for the San Francisco Symphony for 25 years, MTT brought a commitment to American composers, innovative programming, and community engagement. Although best known as a conductor, pianist, educator, and tireless advocate for music, this program will focus on MTT’s compositions, which reflect his joy and omnivorous taste in music. Featured works include Island Music for marimbas and percussion, Agnegram for orchestra, Street Song for brass ensemble, and the song Grace, written for Leonard Bernstein.