It’s a safe bet that violist Nadia Sirota stays busy. Her official bio encompasses work as a solo performer as well as her involvement in multiple ensembles, both for work that’s traditionally thought of as “classical” and for pieces that blur the line between that and rock, including Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s upcoming The Long Count. Sirota’s debut album, First Things First, finds her playing works commissioned from composers Nico Muhly, Judd Greenstein, and Marcos Balter. Listening to it can be an absorbing experience, and the process by which it evolved was among the areas of discussion for this interview.
[Previous interviews in this series can be found here.]
How did you go about selecting the composers whose work is heard on First Things First?
I starting seriously commissioning new works for the viola while I was still an undergrad at Juilliard. When I decided to assemble this first album, I had the great luxury of 5 years of new works from which to edit as cohesive an album as possible. The three composers I chose, Nico Muhly, Marcos Balter, and Judd Greenstein wrote works which I thought spoke really well together. My goal for this record was to make it really listenable, start to finish, as opposed to a more old-fashioned classical-type CD which might include, say, three beethoven string quartets.
Over how long a period of time did the commissioning process last? Was this album always the goal?
I started commissioning pieces for various recitals and concerts I played both in and out of school. An album was always in the back of my head, but these pieces were written with live performance in mind.
Recently on his blog, Nico Muhly mentioned you in a discussion of the scene of which he’s a part. How would you describe the dynamic of that group of musicians? Has commissioning work changed that dynamic at all?
Commissioning work sort of is the dynamic! At least for me. I am lucky enough to work with my friends. Almost all (all?) of the works on this record were commissioned over a bourbon or two. We support and work with each other. It’s fun! Also! we are more ambitions, in part, ’cause new projects mean we get to hang out more. This is lovely!
How has your work with Overnight Music affected how you view music?
I’ve been exposed to so much more music since I started work at the radio. I love just kind of knowing what new CDs are out. My tastes are always broadening; I think that’s the lovely thing about being a performer: you get to figure out what’s awesome about tons and tons of different styles of music.
You’ve played as part of classical ensembles and with groups that fall more into the rock/pop category, and with artists whose work bridges the two (i.e. Johann Johannsson, Max Richter). What do you consider to the challenges of working with each? Do you find that playing with, say, Grizzly Bear or My Brightest Diamond has an effect on your work elsewhere?
I was super classically-trained, so for a long time my work with bands was kind of terrifying (see: holishit, what even is song form?? where does the OUTRO go at??) so this work has been awesome because I’ve learned a whole different way to approach notation and the working process. I really really love working with different types of smart people who are good at what they do; it pushes me to be more flexible and the more of that stuff I can get, the happier I am.