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August, 2010 August 27: The "Sixty Interpretations of Sixty Seconds by Sixty Solo Instruments" CD Project, in which I took part, has just been released on Apprise Records. I was invited to contribute to this record by Canadian musician David Sait, who organized a top-notch group of musicians from around the world. The CD offers a fascinating take on time, improvisation, and stylistic differences. You can learn more about the project, listen to me and 59 other musicians, and / or buy a CD on their website here. August 6: I've been invited to give a paper at the "ART MUSICS OF ISRAEL:IDENTITIES, IDEOLOGIES, INFLUENCES" conference,taking place between Monday 28 March - Thursday 31 March 2011 at the University of London. I'll be discussing "Arrangements of Shirei Eretz Israel as Expressions of the Shifting Politics of Israeli Identity," the abstract is available here. This paper grew out of experiences I had playing in Omer Avital and Israel Borochov's Debka Fantastia Project back in 2008. August 2: I was selected as a Sperrle Fellow here at Yale. July, 2010 July 20: My analysis of Shulamit Ran's String Quartet no. 1, "Shulamit Ran: In Tune with the Audience and the Performer," has been published in Israeli Music Institute's journal. You can read the article in Hebrew here, but the original English version should appear sometime this year, as the IMI's website is undergoing an upgrade. Special thanks to Uri Golumb, for his fantastic translation and editorial help! June, 2010 June 20: Misha Piatigorsky's new album, Paris Troika has received rave reviews in online magazines All About Jazz and Jazz Chicago. I collaborated with Misha on the strings in four tracks - great fun and excellent music. You can read the reviews here and here, and please check out Paris Troika's website, too. May, 2010 May 15: My piece, Merhavim, commissioned by Ron Merhavi, has been reviewed in Vol 33 no. 3 of Bass World, the journal of the International Society of Bassists. Jeremy C. Baguyos writes: "Raz's Merhavim (Landscapes) (2008) demonstrates a maturity not often found among youthful composers. Between Raz's writing and Ron Merhavi's capabilities, Merhavim (Landscapes) develops logically and always has a sense of direction and form. As a result, Merhavim (Landscapes) accomplishes what is so hard to attain in solo double bas writing and other predominantly monophonic instrumental media, an apparent form and direction." You can read the complete review here, listen to Ron's recording here, and learn more about his CD project here. May 13: Unfortunately I couldn't attend the performance of my string quartets 2 and 3 by members of the Kammerakademie Potsdam, but found this review of the concert in the Maerkische Allgemeine Zeitung. Matthias Mueller writes: Die beiden Streichquartette von Carmel Raz entsprachen mehr dem Lebensgefuehl der Menschen von heute. Im zweiten Quartett lotet sie klangliche Moeglichkeiten aus vom elastischen Abprallen des Bogens auf der Seite, dem Einsatz der Bogenstange bis zum Flageolett - so klingt eben ein technisches Auftragswerk des Chicagoer Buren-Quartetts. In ihrer Nr. 3, als "Programmmusik" bezeichnet, setzte sich Carmel Raz mit dem Lungenkrebstod ihres Vaters Tzvi Raz auseinander. Schwer gehender Atem, Herzschlagmotive, auch Weinen praegen das kurze komprimierte Opus... ein hoch interessantes Konzert, das der Tradition und der Moderne gleichfalls verbunden war." You can read the complete review here, and read more about Matan Dagan and the Kammerakademie Potsdamer here. April, 2010 April 20: The Kammerakademie Potsdam's performance of two of my string quartets has been postponed to May 12. The volcano prevented me from attending this week's performance, and I really hope to come to Berlin in time for the next. April 2: The Jersey City Independent interviewed me for an article about Con Vivo Jersey City, an organization of which I am proud to be an artistic advisory board member. The article can be found here. Go Amelia and the rest of Con Vivo! March, 2010 March 7: Omaha Area Youth Philharmonic's world premiere of my commissioned piece, Oayo, was a great experience. The orchestra is truly fantastic: incredibly motivated and talented young people playing under the expert direction of Maestra Aviva Segall, a driving force within the Omaha area new music scene. A recording of the first performance can be heard here. Dress rehearsal with the Omaha Area Youth Phil February, 2010 February 28: Paris Troika has released their first CD, which features me on violin and viola. Paris Troika is the project of Misha Piatigorsky, Buster Hemphill and Chris Wabish: three fun and original jazz musicians taking on classic rock. You can hear me on four tracks, or on their website here. January, 2010 January 11: Interval Recordings has released a CD featuring my violin sounds: electronic artist Ido Govrin's Moraine, which he describes as "six electro-acoustic pieces partly created by the analysis-re-synthesis process of acoustic instruments (Cello and Violin) and partly by a pure computer generated process of sound, Moraine is composed of exquisite sound qualities consisting of restrained gestures of simultaneous assembling and disassembling processes, slow though diligent creation holds a promise for total collapse, destruction, and as such, fills the listener with sweet sadness and longing." Please visit the Interval Recordings website for more information. It's a stunning album, sort of what I imagine Gustav Mahler would do if he were an electronic artist working today. I really recommend checking it out! December, 2009 December 24: I had a wonderful time giving a masterclass on music for violin and electronics at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Meeting Nori Jacoby's group of talented students at the Bar Ilan music department was great fun. Nori Jacoby November, 2009 November 30: I've been awarded a Meet the Composer's Creative Connections grant ahead of the performances of my orchestra piece Oayo by the Omaha Area Youth Orchestra in March 2010. September, 2009 September 17: I've been awarded an ASCAPPlus Award by the American Society of Authors and Publishers. September 10: It's been a while since I've updated this section of my website - after a wonderful summer which included many exciting musical experiences, I started grad school a week ago. I'll try to be better about posting news items etc! June, 2009 June 2: I've been awarded a Meet the Composer's Creative Connections grant ahead of the performances of my third string quartet by Con Vivo in July. May, 2009 May 5: I joined members of the NYC-based Red Light New Music Ensemble in a concert of new music at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage in Washington D.C. The program was a lot of fun, and working with the composer-directors and other performers was a pleasure. A video of our concert can be found on the Kennedy Center website here. May 2: I just finished a three night run at the Jazz Gallery as part of Jason Lindner's Breeding Ground project. This was one of the best musical experiences of my life! Joining fellow string players Mazz Swift, Curtis Stewart, Will Martina, as well as percussionist Mark Giuliana, bass player and vocalist Panagiotis Andreau, vocalist Jeff Taylor, wind players Rafi Malkiel, John Beaty and Jorge Continentino was a rare privilege. I can't wait to play with these amazing musicians again. I've posted a clip of my solo here. I strongly encourage everyone to check out these incredible musicians if you can! April, 2009 April 30: Richard Grooms of Improviser Magazine reviews Karl Siegfried's CD release "Blue Rhizome," describing this the record as: "A varied document, encompassing Celtic-tinged jazz, jazz rock, hard rock and a couple of pastoral pieces where Raz shines. All the group members are very strong." Please visit Imaginary Chicago Records to learn more about the CD. April 20: I've added a new Theory section to this website, currently accessible through the tab at the top of each page. March, 2009 March 27: Bassist Ron Merhavi's debut solo CD "One on One: Double Bass's Many Faces" was released earlier this month, and it includes Merhavim, a piece I wrote especially for this project. Please visit this link to learn more about the CD, about Ron and the other composers involved. March 3: Another big change in my life - I've been accepted to the PhD program in Music Theory at Yale University. After spending the last three years performing and composing, I was starting to really miss academics. The music department at Yale has an unbelievable roster of scholars and musicians, and I can't wait to start this exciting program. February, 2009 February 3:The Carmel Quartet (not relatives of mine! we just share the same name) gave the world premiere of my Third String Quartet: Programmmusik live on Israeli Radio's Etnachta Program. This piece was commissioned by Raz Binyamini of the Israel Chamber Music Center for the Carmel Quartet - special thanks to Yoel Greenberg for the punning involved, and to the Rabinovitch Foundation, for making the commission possible. And a huge thank you to the Carmel Quartet for their beautiful and moving performance, both on the 3rd at the Henry Crown Symphony Auditorium in Jerusalem and on the 5th at the Einav Cultural Center in Tel-Aviv. My Third String Quartet: Programmmusik is dedicated to the Carmel Quartet, but the music itself was written to the memory of my father, Tzvi Raz, who passed away in July 2007 at age 55 of lung cancer. Much of the musical materials in the work are explicitly related to his illnes - the piece opens with a "breathing" motive, which undergoes various transformations, and "crying" and heartbeat motives can also be easily recognized. Listen to a recording from the Jerusalem concert here. Tzvi Raz (1951-2007) January, 2009 January 10: Playing in Merkin Hall with Omer Avital was a lot of fun. I've had the opportunity to work with Omer before in Israel on many projects, and he's one of the leaders in creating a style of "Israeli fusion" music which brings together Classical / Jazz / Afro / Ashkenazi/ Mizrachi / Arab traditions in an exciting way. Performing at Merkin December, 2008 December 7: The Omaha Area Youth Orchestra reading of my new orchestra piece OAYO was a wonderful experience. The young musicians, under the baton of Maestra Aviva Segall, did an outstanding job. December 4: The Israel Contemporary String Quartet tour of Holland and Belgium was great fun! Playing with Boris Malkovsky and Ora Boason-Horev was a pleasure. Performing at the Concertgebouw November, 2008 November 8: The Rabinovitch Foundation has supported the commissioning of my third string quartet by the Chamber Music Center at the Israel Music Conservatory for the Carmel Quartet October, 2008 October 31: Cadence magazine reviewed Karl Seigfried's Blue Rhizome Project with the New Quartet, mentioning that: "Raz is also impressive on pieces like the understated 'A Distant Beauty.'" October 14: I've taken up mandolin playing - which is a wonderful addition to my improv options. A few links to Mandolin / Cello jams with cellist Yoed Nir posted below. Mandolin with Cello Jam 1 Mandolin with Cello Jam 2 October 1: A big change in my personal life - I've moved to New York City, a city I've always loved. I'll be maintaining a lot of my performance activities in Israel, Europe and Chicago as well - I'll keep you posted! September, 2008 August 7: The International Ensemble Modern Academy residence at the Klangspuren Festival in Austria and Italy was a really wonderful experience - and performing Steve Reich's Violin Phase was an exhilarating challenge. August, 2008 August 7: The Millennium Chamber Players Canada tour was great fun! Our performance at the Jusqu' aux Oreilles Festival in Montreal was a success, special thanks to flutist Kim Sopata for her beautiful interpretation of my solo flute piece Iola. August 2: The Toronto Summer Festival Academy was a wonderful experience. Working with R Murray Schafer and the Molinari Quartet was revelatory. The Molinaris workshopped my new 3rd String Quartet- a recording of the reading can be heard here. with Schafer, fellow students, Molinaris July, 2008 July 21: Ron Merhavi recorded "Merhavim" for Solo Contrabass at the Jerusalem Music Center "Mishkenot Sha'ananim." A recording can be heard here July 17: I joined members of the Israel Contemporary String Quartet in Omer Avital and Israel Borochov's Debka Fantasia Project at the Tzavta Theater in Tel-Aviv. This was an exhilarating experience, which reunited Israeli folksongs with their Sephardic/Arabic origins, arranged through the prism of Omer's classical and jazz influences, and culminated in a few of the composers of these classic tunes, now in their 80s, dancing on stage. All the musicians were incredible, including the solo singers Chaya Amir and Ravid Kahlani. Onstage with Debka June, 2008 June 5: I've been invited to the 2008 Ensemble Modern Academy in Schwaz, Austria, as part of the Klangspuren Festival, we'll be working with members of Ensemble Modern and with resident composer Steve Reich. June 4: "Merhavim" for Solo Contrabass dedicated to virtuoso bassist Ron Merhavi, who commissioned me for a piece to be featured on his upcoming CD centered on lyrical works for solo double bass. I'll post more information about the CD release soon. Ron Merhavi May, 2008 May 31: The Chicago Reader's Jazz critic Peter Margasak's review of Karl Seigfried's New Quartet's upcoming CD release Blue Rhizome: "...a lovely fusion of jazz and Hindustani music... every piece gets extra emotional heft and melodic nuance from reedist Greg Ward, violinist Carmel Raz, and drummer Chris Avgerin." Blue Rhizome (Imaginary Chicago Records 2008) May 15: I've been selected by the Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival as one of four young composer fellows to participate in their Composition Academy with R. Murray Schafer and the Molinari Quartet, who will perform my third string quartet on a concert on August 2nd at the Chiurch of the Redeemer in Toronto. May 7: my improvisation with Gene Coleman and Chris Adler was broadcast on national Latvian radio. More info about the broadcast here. April, 2008 April 13: The Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop led by David Krakauer was a fantastic experience. With repertoire ranging from Osvaldo Golijov's Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind for clarinet and string quartet to traditional bulgars, the final concert at Zankel Hall felt like one long party... Klezmer craziness led by David Krakauer (his blurred head in the picture is the result of spectacular circular breathing) March, 2008 March 29: As part of the John Zorn Festival in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, I was part of the Israeli premiere performance of Zorn's Walpurgisnacht for string trio as well as assorted works for quartet at Beit Avichai. An exhilarating and exhausting experience, after the show Zorn suggested we take faster tempi in future performances, which we did, four days later, at a night performance at the Levontin 7 club. Crazy music. March 23: The Chamber Music Center at the Israel Music Conservatory has commissioned me to compose a new work for the Carmel Quartet, in residence there for the 2008-2009 season. The Carmel Quartet (Rachel, Lia, Yoel and Tami) are terrific musicians, I'm really looking forward to writing a piece for them. The Carmel Quartet (not relatives of mine! We share just the first name.) March 20: The Israel Contemporary String Quartet tour of Eastern Europe was a lot of fun! We played in some really stunning venues with great audiences, and getting to see Romania and Bulgaria was a real treat. with the members of the ICSQ. March 15: The Millennium Chamber Players, under the baton of Robert Katkov-Trevino, gave the US premiere of Snake, arranged for chamber ensemble. The performances took place March 15-18 at Sherwood Conservatory, the Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Lewis University and Eastern Illinois University. Snake (live recording from the Tarble Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University) February, 2008 February 22: Snake for 17 Musicians was premiered by the Orkest de Ereprijs under the baton of Rob Verheulen at the 14th Young Composers Meeting in Apeldoorn, Holland. Working with the wonderful musicians of the Ereprijs during the 5-day workshop was great fun. Snake for 17 Musicians (live recording from the Podium Gigant in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands The Orkest de Ereprijs seconds before performing Snake. February 2: I've been selected to perform in the David Krakauer / Weil Music Institute Workshop at Carnegie Hall, where "advanced classical, jazz, and klezmer musicians will explore traditional, experimental, and classically set klezmer music in this five-day workshop with acclaimed clarinetist David Krakauer and his colleagues Socalled, Alicia Svigals, and Michael Alpert." January, 2008 January 28: my improvisation with Gene Coleman and Chris Adler was broadcast on national Polish radio as part of Polskie Radio's Nowe Kontrapunkty program. More info about the broadcast here. January 10: Adom for Solo Viola won first place in the 2008 Karen Sokolof Javitch Composition Competition in Omaha. Special thanks to Jesse Griggs for a wonderful performance which was invaluable in securing the prize. January 7-8: Variants for Chamber Ensemble was premiered by the Modern Chamber Players of Texas under the baton of the incredible Robert Katkov-Trevino at the University of Texas in Arlington and at the First United Methodist Megachurch in Hurst Texas. A video of the Arlington performance is posted below. December, 2007 December 8: Mimesis for violin and live electronics, my collaboration with sound designer and composer Ido Govrin, was premiered at the UltraSound Festival at the Tmoona Theater in Tel-Aviv. The festival made quite an impact on the avant-garde scene in Israel, and included performances of works by Jennifer Walshe and John Duncan, who flew in for the event. A recording can be heard here: Mimesis November, 2007 November 12: I've been selected to participate in the 14th International Young Composers Meeting 2008 in Apeldoorn, Holland, organized by Orkest de Ereprijs, Podium Gigant in Apeldoorn and GAUDEAMUS Foundation in Amsterdam. The Orkest de Ereprijs will workshop a new piece of mine specially written for the IYCM 2008. November 2: I've been selected as one of three finalists in the Karen Sokolof Javitch Composition Competition in Omaha, Nebraska. They have kindly invited me to Omaha for the finals, to be held on January 10th, 2008. October, 2007 October 26: My Trialogue Cycle for Oboe and Clarinet was premiered by Kate Eakin and Kara Bancks at Illinois Central College as part of the first Millennium Chamber Players Residency there this year. Kara and Kate did a fantastic job, and working with them was a pleasure. Pictures are available on the MCP blog here. October 12: The members of the Israel Contemporary String Quartet have invited me to join them in concert and on tour in February and March 2008 as replacement second violin, performing works by Itzhak Yedid on Israel Radio's Etnachta Series and by Steve Reich, Josef Bardanashvilli and Dimitri Shostakovitch at the March Music Days International Festival in Rousse, Bulgaria. The Israel Contemporary String Quartet September, 2007 September 20: The International Ensemble Modern Academy as part of the Klangspuren Festival in Schwaz, Austria was a lot of fun. Working with members of the Ensemble Modern, especially their concertmaster Jagdish Mistry, was an incredible experience. I've posted a recording of the Schoenberg Chamber Symphony Op. 9 here - conductor Franck Ollu is another amazing musician I hope to work with again some time. with members of the International Ensemble Modern Academy and conductor Franck Ollu at the final concert in Innsbruck, September 20, 2007 September 4: World premiere of Amnon Wolman's violin, cello, tape+video piece August 2007 at Levontine 7. with Dan Weinstein (Musica Nova Consort) at Levontine 7, September 4, 2007 August, 2007 August 3: "Art of the States" radio selects my improvisation with Gene Coleman and Chris Adler for broadcast on its upcoming program, distributed to classical stations across the world. Chris Adler, Carmel Raz and Gene Coleman at a pre-concert panel at the Rennaisance Society on April 6, 2007 July, 2007 July 31: String Quartet no.2 selected for the final round (top eight entries) in the 2007 BMI Women's Commission Composition Competition. July 19: As part of a special tribute concert to Shulamit Ran at the University of Chicago, Mary Stolper gives the Chicago premiere of "Iola" for Solo Flute, and the Millennium Chamber Players under the baton of Robert Katkov-Trevino premiere "Variants" for Ensemble. Recordings can be heard here: Iola for Solo Flute. Variants for Ensemble. July 15: Yossi Mar Haim reviews the premiere of "Anaphora" in Bama Magazine: "...the piece by Carmel Raz was the icing on the cake...a moving experience" July 12: "Anaphora" for open ensemble, video and electronics premiered at the Jazz-o-Nova festival in Tel-Aviv by the Musica Nova Consort and the Avi Adrian trio (Avi Adrian, Eli Magen and Noam David). A recording can be heard here: Anaphora for Open Ensemble Photo from the concert on July 12th at the Einav Center June, 2007 June 22: Trialogue for Solo Saxophone dedicated to concert saxophonist Geoffrey Deibel. Geoff's recording can be heard here: Trialogue for Saxophone Geoffrey Deibel June 21: Iola for Solo Flute premiered by Barry Crawford at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater (Symphony Space) in New York City, as part of the American Composer's Alliance Festival of American Music. A recording can be heard here: Iola for Solo Flute June 16: Fantasy on "All in a Garden Green" premiered by Musica Donum Dei at Christchurch Belper, Derbyshire, UK. June 7: String Quartet no. 2 workshopped by the Arditti Quartet at the June in Buffalo Festival in Buffalo, USA. A recording can be heard here: String Quartet no.2 May, 2007 May 10: Awarded funding by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts and the University of Chicago Fine Arts Fund to enable my participation in Soundfield's Orpheus in China Project. April, 2007 April 15: Selected as a finalist in the 2007 Volti Composition Competition.