Podcasts · Episode

Julia Wolfe

Program: NoteWorthy
Aired: Monday, January 15, 2024
Hosted by Loki Karuna

When was the last time you saw something wild? Not just a squirrel or any other city creature, but something really unaffected by contemporary society? I have to say that it's been a while for me, but every now and again there's a piece of music that reacquaints me with something that has a more natural existence. Greetings – I'm Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy we're all gonna get away from it all, with the help of a work by Julia Wolfe.

Julia Wolfe is no stranger to big city life – she actually creates and collaborates primarily in New York City. But this 2017 composition came to life in rural Ireland – a place where you find a rustic looking plant called furze. This Julia Wolfe composition, inspired by that plant, is titled, A Wild Furze. 

Just like those colorful shrubs across Ireland, Julia's career continues to grow, with recognitions including a Herb Alpert Award and a Pulitzer, not to mention the fact that she's also been planting seeds for the next generation of composers as a professor at NYU. The fruits of her labor are many, and she's without a doubt a composer whose career is noted as among the most NoteWorthy. 

NoteWorthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio.

Pictured: Julia Wolfe by Peter Serling © 2009.

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