Podcasts · Episode

Gabriela Lena Frank

Program: NoteWorthy
Aired: Monday, September 2, 2024
Hosted by Loki Karuna

Picture yourself at a party, or some other sort of social gathering. If someone walked up to you and said, "Do you need a tuner? Because you look very sharp!" How would you react? I guess it's fair to say that even musical pick-up lines can be a bit cheesy, but that doesn't mean music, itself, can't be a little flirtatious. How YOU doing? I'm Loki Karuna, and on today's edition of Noteworthy I'd like to invite you to be woo-ed by a very flirtatious piece of music – one by composer Gabriela Lena Frank.

Gabriela's upbringing was quite colorful, and even more diverse, and it shows in her music. Across her catalogue, you'll find works that honor the stories and experiences of people not only in the United States, but throughout all of the Americas, including this composition that mixes western classical techniques with the sounds of South America. What Gabriela depicts in this movement is a flirtatious love song, typically delivered by men looking to, well, pick someone up. It's a tune that she called "Coqueteos".

In more recent years, Gabriela Lena Frank has picked up a number of students, with her Creative Music Academy quickly becoming one of the most sought-after experiences for up and coming composers. She's a force to be reckoned with, from her fortes to her musical flirtations, earning her a spot among today's most Noteworthy. 

Noteworthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio.

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