HYMN by Cassie Wieland & Vicky Chow

When composer Cassie Wieland was awarded a commission in 2020 from Brooklyn’s Roulette and the Jerome Foundation, she knew exactly who she needed for the project. “They asked me to write whatever I wanted,” she recalls today, “and the first person who came to mind was Vicky Chow.”

Wieland texted the New York-based classical pianist, and the two immediately began collaborating on what became HYMN — a collaborative work for solo piano and electronics that merges modern classical with granular synthesis, electro-acoustic effects processing and a free-wheeling palette of evocative colors and moods. The half-hour program, which was recorded at Roulette Intermedium, debuts April 28 on all digital services.

“This work is about connection in a big way,” Wieland explains. “I feel like the idea of connection was baked into the writing process through collaborating with Vicky. We read through handwritten sketches at her apartment, and we worked on piano preparations together. Not only is she amazing at her instrument, but just watching her technicality and choreography really influenced where I wanted the piece to go.”

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Vicky Chow – piano
Cassie Wieland – composer & producer
Adam Holmes – electronics coordinator
Mike Tierney – recording, mixing, & mastering engineer

Recorded at Roulette Intermedium, Brooklyn NY, April 2021
Mixed and mastered at Shiny Things Studio, Brooklyn NY

HYMN was commissioned by Roulette, made possible with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation. It was written for and premiered by Vicky Chow at Roulette Intermedium in November 2020.

Cassie Wieland (pronounced ˈkæ-si ˈwee-lənd) is an Illinois-born and Brooklyn-based composer. Praised by The New York Times as “sweetly shimmering,” Wieland masterfully experiments with timbre and texture by exploring intimate and fragile sounds to achieve the “hand-made” sound she is often looking for: imperfect, but intentional.

cassiewieland.com