(bright music) (bright rhythmic music) - [Matt] Talk photography with Adrianna Newell.

(shutter clicking) Learn about a new collaboration between Albany Pro Musica and the mostly modern festival, and catch a performance from Reese Fulmer & the Carriage House Band.

It's all ahead on this episode of "AHA!"

- [Announcer] Funding for "AHA!"

has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and the Robison Family Foundation.

(soft rhythmic music) (screen whooshing) - Hi, I'm Matt Rogowicz and this is "AHA!

A House for Arts," a place for all things creative.

Adrianna Newell is a photographer working in the Catskills, Hudson Valley, and beyond.

Her impressive list of clients include "The New York Times" Penguin Random House, and "Vogue."

I recently visited with her to find out what makes her work stand out.

(soft music) - I'm a photographer in Oneonta, New York.

I love photographing people.

I do a lot of portraiture, I do a lot of fashion, documentary work.

A lot of the work that I do is based on, like, identities and the complexities within that, but I'm also interested in making my work feel nostalgic and dreamlike, and almost like my own world through my own lens as being a Black woman from Upstate.

(soft music continues) I got into photography when I was 14 years old.

Originally, I was really into doing, like, YouTube videos and making music videos and stuff like that, and I thought I was going to be a filmmaker, but then I had found Flickr, and then I started seeing amazing, beautiful work, and I was like, "Oh, I can make a still image and still tell a story," and then it really just blossomed from there.

(bright music) I like to work with film a lot, and I think that creates more of an intentionality for me.

I feel like a lot of the work that I try to make, I want the viewer to be connected in that way.

I started a project documenting sisters around the Upstate area, because I also had sisters myself.

I wanted to know, like, the differences between my relationship with mine and then other people's relationships with theirs.

I did a little interview, asking them little questions, like, "What's the funniest memory you have with your sister?"

Or "What inspires you about your sister?"

That was, like, one of my start to doing different projects, like, personally, like in a documentary way.

(shutter clicking) From there, I had gotten the idea to photograph queer people in rural areas and smaller cities.

Well, I am a queer individual myself.

When I was growing up, I was a lot shyer and more scared, and I feel like really putting myself out there with this project and getting to learn about so many different people from so many different walks of life, it has really been such an amazing experience.

(bright orchestral music) I think my work is very emotional, or at least I try to make it where you feel connected with the subject in the same way that I felt connected with the subject.

Like, that's super important to me.

(bright orchestral music continues) (shutter clicking) I am a frequent contributor to "The New York Times."

I've also shot for "Vogue," British "Vogue," some other little publications.

(Adrianna laughing) It's been a fun time, like, getting these jobs and being from this area is definitely crazy.

When I had first started working with "The New York Times," they had contacted me in my email, and I think I was literally heading to class, and I was like, "Oh, (chuckles) 'The New York Times' wants to send me to Vermont to shoot Danny Roberts."

They were like, "We really love your style.

I saw your Instagram, I saw your website, I think you'd be great for this shoot," and yeah.

And then three days later, I went out there.

I had, like, an hour with him, and I just shot a bunch of stuff.

(bright orchestral music) You never know what you're gonna get sometimes, and that was, like, one of the random moments, and then I went on to shoot a bunch more fun stuff for them.

If you want to pick up the camera and be a photographer, you should definitely just shoot everything, and anyone, and just have fun with it.

- A new three-year artistic collaboration is uniting one of the region's leading choral ensembles with one of the Capital Region's most distinctive summer festivals.

Jade Warrick met with Albany Pro Musica's Jose Daniel Flores-Caraballo and Mostly Modern Festival's Robert Paterson to learn more.

- Hey, Robert, Hey, Jose.

- Hello.

- Welcome.

Jose, welcome back to "A House for Arts," and Robert, it's great to have you here.

- Thank you.

- So we're here to talk about this new collaboration you both are doing.

We have Albany Pro Musica as well as the Modern Music Festival that's coming up, and I know this is a collaboration between you two, so explain this collaboration a little bit.

Break it down for me.

- Albany Pro Musica started a composer in residence program shortly after I arrived to the Capital Region, and I always wanted to have a composer from New York, and now, the time is here.

So I knew of Robert and I like his music, had great admiration for his work, and we were just waiting for the right opportunity.

And after much conversation, we decided that this was a good time for him to become Albany Pro Musica's new composer in residence.

Now, as it happens, sometimes when you have creative minds over lunch, ideas started flying and evolving, and that conversation took us to a much bigger collaboration in which not only Robert will be Albany Pro Musica's composer in residence for the next three years, he was so kind to invite Albany Pro Musica to be the chorus in residence at this prestigious festival, the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs.

So Albany Pro Musica will be performing there for three years, and he also, well, why keep it simple if you can complicate it?

(Jade chuckling) So he invited me to be their conductor in residence for the next three years, as well.

So in addition to conducting Albany Pro Musica, I will be conducting their orchestra, the Mostly Modern Festival orchestra.

at this festival.

- Wow.

And why three years?

- First of all, why would we not want to have Jose Daniel - That is true.

(laughs) - And Albany Pro Musica for three years.

Of course, we want them as long as we can have them, but I think it just makes sense to develop a relationship, and I think you can do it over three years.

It makes you feel like it's not so short, you know?

'Cause what if people go to the first concert the first year and go, "Wow, this is amazing."

You wanna give them two more chances, right?

So it makes sense, yeah.

- Yeah, they're like, "I want more."

- Right, exactly, yeah.

- Well, there's also another element of a relationship with a composer.

There's so many conversations about the works that we can be doing together, and it takes time.

It takes time to compose, of course, and we are not the only people commissioning from Robert.

He has other commissions, so yeah.

- Yeah, and I think we, you know, it takes time, too, like, for Jose Daniel and I, and for both of our organizations to develop these ideas, 'cause sometimes you're planning years out.

- Yeah.

- You know, so for example, the big pieces that are going on year two and year three, we have to think about now, 'cause there's a lot of moving parts, right?

- Yeah, so Mostly Modern, you focus on, like, kind of like in the name, modern living composers.

Why is that important to your mission?

- I think it's important, because, you know, when people think of classical music, they're thinking of, you know, dead people.

They always do this, and it's annoying, because, you know, (Jade chuckling) there's so many living composers.

So basically, what we're trying to do is flip the model on its head and do mostly living composers, that's why it's called Mostly Modern Festival, with a little foray into the past occasionally.

So we'll do what we like to say are freshly dead composers.

We'll do the ones that have recently died, you know, (Jade and Jose chuckling) and then maybe once in a blue moon, we'll do a long-dead composer.

And for us, long-dead is like beginning of the 1900s, so we almost never do something from the 1800s, 17, and so on, and earlier.

One of the best parts of our festival is you'll get to meet, if he comes out in the lobby, Jose Daniel.

You get to meet the singers, you'll get to meet the instrumentalists, and especially, you know, because so much of it's about composers, you get to meet some of them and ask them, "Why did you do that piece?

What is that music about?"

You can actually have a conversation with them.

They're not dead yet, that's the best part.

You know, you can't ask Bach or Mozart, or frankly, you know, long-dead pop stars.

I mean, don't you ever feel like you wish you could ask somebody something?

- Yeah.

- Right, so it's nice to be able to actually, if you have a question, they're right there, you know?

- You know, Robert, I would add to that, as an audience member of your festival, which is how I encountered this festival the first time, there's a special synergy that happens when you have in that orchestra participating musicians of the festival- - Right.

- With the faculty, with composers, they're all together in the stage.

They're all incredibly invested in their performance, which, you know, sometimes an orchestra, for some musicians, a performance might be one more gig- - Right.

- And let me go to the next, but these people are there for two weeks, right?

- Well, that's the other thing, yeah.

Jose Daniel is absolutely right.

A lot of times with classical musicians, they're dying to do the classics because they feel like that's their bread and butter, but at our festival, every single person there, like he just said, wants to be there, and they're so excited, and there's so much energy 'cause a lot of them are on the younger side, so you feel like it's this burst of energy.

You know, like they're all absolutely excited to be playing this music by their friends and colleagues and these people they just met.

- It doesn't seem very, like, super formal and stuffy.

- No.

- It seems like you're truly creating this, like, - No.

- Beautiful, interactive experience, and kind of a- - Exactly.

- Communal experience at that.

- Right, and people are usually very shocked.

I hate to say this, but they're shocked at how good a time they're having.

(Jade chuckling) A good shock.

They're like, "Wow, I thought this was gonna be stuffy and boring," and it actually turns out, "Wow, this is, like, one of the best concert I've heard in a long time," and we get that a lot.

And the more people discover it, we're building, like, kind of a tribe, like these people that keep coming back year after year, which is amazing.

- Yeah.

And you're kind of, like, keeping this genre of music living still, you know, - Yeah.

- You're keeping people engaged with it, you know?

Newer generations too, right?

- Right.

And I will say that I think with Jose Daniel and Albany Pro Musica, partnering with them, there is, I think, a bit more of a tradition in the choral world.

I mean, he does a lot of, you know, older music, too, but you're so good about, he's so good about doing music by living composers.

So by combining our forces, we're getting to do now this whole world of music that we wouldn't normally do because we have his choir.

- Yeah.

- You know, and yeah, super exciting, I think, yeah.

- So I know you're connecting, like, you're bringing Troy, and Albany, and Saratoga together, you know, through this initiative and this programming.

Like, why is that so important for you guys?

- Well, you know, one of the things I have noticed here is every region in the Capital Region is very special.

- (chuckles) Yeah.

- (chuckles) right.

- And there's a lot to be pride of every area, and each one is unique, too, but logically, when you put together the gifts of every area, we grow stronger as a region.

I have seen since I came here 12 years ago, that there's a great interest in partnerships and collaborations.

And I admire that of this community, to see that excitement about collaborations and how much we grow from each.

Just think about the fact that, for instance, Albany Pro Musica, it performs with the Albany Symphony, with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Saratoga, with our own orchestra.

We perform at one of the jewels of the area, which is the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

I don't know that everyone in Albany has discovered that Saratoga Spring has a wonderful hall, too, in the Central Hall at Skidmore.

And likewise, people from Saratoga may not have yet discovered what a jewel the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is.

So to have this collaboration where we are exposing people to the work that these two organizations do, and sharing resources, sharing patrons, I think, is fantastic.

The Capital Region, I have always seen it as one great community, not four different communities, right?

- Yeah.

- So every time there's an opportunity to do this type of collaboration, I find it quite exciting.

- I mean, there's so much pride, right?

Troy has pride.

- Oh yeah.

- Albany has pride, Saratoga Springs.

So I think we could be also prideful of the whole region, like he was just saying, you know, and bring everything together, and let people from Lake George or Saratoga explore each other's communities and art scene, you know?

And so this is helping, I hope, you know, and I'm really, really excited about what he just said.

That's actually one of my favorite aspects of this, is bringing in new audiences from each area into the other area and not feeling like it's always like these little silos, you know?

- Yeah.

- Because I think this whole Capital Region is amazing.

It's just so chock-full of art, actually, and great music.

- And they do say that art and music, you know, connects us.

- Absolutely.

- Really builds us together.

- Right.

- So tell us about when folks can see the concert?

How can they get it?

How can they, like, get tickets?

Like, where do they go?

How do we get involved?

- Okay, so it's super easy.

(Jade chuckling) You just have to go to mostlymodernfestival.org.

Right on the homepage, we have season passes, we have tickets for all the concerts.

We have 10 concerts.

This concert with Albany Pro Musica is the first one, and then we have two other orchestra concerts, Peter & the Wolf, a whole bunch of chamber concerts, all amazing musicians, so, you know, and you can pick and choose whatever you want to go to.

- And it starts up in the summer?

- Starts in June, it starts on June 5th, and goes all the way through for the next 20 days or so.

You know, 15, 20 days.

- Awesome, and then we get, every year, we get a new- - Every single year.

(Jade chuckling) And the only thing that's gonna be constant is our festival and Jose Daniel and Albany Pro Musica for the next three years.

- (laughs) That's awesome.

- That's happening each of these three years, yeah.

- Well, thank you so much for joining us today, and I can't wait to check it out.

I'm very excited.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

Thanks for having us.

- Thanks for having us here.

- Please welcome Reese Fulmer & The Carriage House Band.

(bright guitar music) ♪ New moon ♪ ♪ It's out of time ♪ ♪ New rules for space and binding satellites ♪ ♪ To cast away ♪ (bright guitar music continues) ♪ Too soon to fall in line ♪ ♪ Too late to stay behind ♪ ♪ And no kingdoms rising ♪ ♪ For peace of mind ♪ ♪ No kingdoms rising ♪ ♪ No kingdoms rising ♪ ♪ For peace of mind ♪ ♪ For peace of mind ♪ (bright guitar music continues) ♪ No love from the men on high ♪ ♪ No blood unless it suits their style ♪ ♪ And no sacrifices ♪ ♪ They wouldn't try ♪ ♪ No sacrifices ♪ ♪ No sacrifices ♪ ♪ They wouldn't try ♪ ♪ They wouldn't try ♪ ♪ But all around the city ♪ ♪ But all around the city ♪ ♪ In the morning ♪ ♪ In the morning ♪ ♪ And the place's gold ♪ ♪ And the place's gold ♪ ♪ Is never thought to go ♪ ♪ Is never thought to go ♪ ♪ There are moments ♪ ♪ There are moments ♪ ♪ Unimagined in their beauty ♪ ♪ Unimagined in their beauty ♪ ♪ There is life ♪ ♪ There is life ♪ ♪ The empty kings ♪ ♪ The empty kings ♪ ♪ Will never know ♪ ♪ Will never know ♪ (bright guitar music continues) ♪ Blue sky beyond the cloud ♪ ♪ Blue diamonds in the sacred ground ♪ ♪ Impermanence ♪ ♪ Of the ax and plow ♪ ♪ Impermanence ♪ ♪ Impermanence ♪ ♪ Of the ax and plow ♪ ♪ Of the ax and plow ♪ (bright guitar music continues) ♪ One lane to the golden crown ♪ ♪ One step he might have found ♪ ♪ Los Angeles ♪ ♪ Los Angeles ♪ ♪ Was burning down ♪ ♪ Was burning down ♪ (bright guitar music continues) (bright guitar music) ♪ If my feet ♪ ♪ Must grow weary ♪ ♪ Let it be from sunsets followed through the hills ♪ ♪ And if my hands ♪ ♪ Must be empty ♪ ♪ Let it be from every stranger's hand they filled ♪ ♪ And if my heart ♪ ♪ Must grow heavy ♪ ♪ Let it be to grieve the people I have loved ♪ ♪ And if my soul ♪ ♪ Must leave my body ♪ ♪ Let the words that I have spoken be enough ♪ ♪ And if I fall ♪ ♪ And if I fall ♪ ♪ Let me fall easy ♪ ♪ Let me fall easy ♪ ♪ Let me land gently ♪ ♪ On the ground ♪ ♪ And if I cry ♪ ♪ Cry ♪ ♪ Let me cry softly ♪ ♪ Let me cry softly ♪ ♪ Let me find comfort ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ ♪ And when you hear ♪ ♪ The seabirds calling ♪ ♪ You will know that I am safely on my way ♪ ♪ And when you feel ♪ ♪ A spring rain falling ♪ ♪ Know each leaf will meet the earth again someday ♪ ♪ And if you find ♪ ♪ Find ♪ ♪ That fair horizon ♪ ♪ That fair horizon ♪ ♪ And it seems much darker now ♪ ♪ Seems much darker now ♪ ♪ Than it's ever been ♪ ♪ Than it's ever been ♪ ♪ Do not fear ♪ ♪ The sun is rising ♪ ♪ May it shine until we chance to meet again ♪ ♪ And if you fall ♪ ♪ Fall ♪ ♪ May you fall easy ♪ ♪ May you fall easy ♪ ♪ May you land gently ♪ ♪ On the ground ♪ ♪ And if you cry ♪ ♪ Cry ♪ ♪ May you cry softly ♪ ♪ May you cry softly ♪ ♪ May you find comfort ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ (bright guitar music continues) (bright guitar music continues) ♪ Dig my grave ♪ ♪ In the valley ♪ ♪ When the air is moving slow ♪ ♪ And cold and sweet ♪ ♪ Leave my name ♪ ♪ In the pasture ♪ ♪ Let the wind lead me away among the weak ♪ ♪ And if I fall ♪ ♪ Fall ♪ ♪ Let me fall easy ♪ ♪ Let me fall easy ♪ ♪ And let me land gently ♪ ♪ On the ground ♪ ♪ And if I cry ♪ ♪ Cry ♪ ♪ Let me cry softly ♪ ♪ Let me cry softly ♪ ♪ Let me find comfort ♪ ♪ Let me find comfort ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ ♪ Let me find comfort ♪ ♪ In a song ♪ (bright guitar music continues) (bright guitar music continues) (bright guitar music continues) (bright ambient music) - Thanks for joining us.

For more arts, visit wmht.org/aha and be sure to connect with us on social.

I'm Matt Rogowicz, thanks for watching.

(bright rhythmic music) - [Announcer] Funding for "AHA!"

has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and the Robison Family Foundation.