A series of interactive performances exploring the cello’s journey through time and the ways its human stories enhance our experience of music, past and present.

SUITE TALK tells the human stories animating contemporary classical music, with interactive lecture recitals dressing down impactful new music to reveal its appeal. Cellist Zachary Mowitz and composer Nick DiBerardino lead audiences through a program specifically curated to demystify two new works: Oracle by DiBerardino, and Suite for Solo Cello by Ira J. Mowitz. Participants discover how this new music connects to the rich legacy of the cello's past, emerging with a deeper listening experience of music new and old. Along the way, they explore the deeply human elements that go into all music-making: the cultural touchstones inspiring each composer, the physical efforts of the performer, and most of all, the personal connections between musicians’ lives and their work.

During each interactive performance, Zach and Nick delve into the cello’s centuries-long story and its intersections with fundamental musical concepts. Participants explore things like counterpoint and dance forms through audience participation, Q&A, and guided hearings of excerpts by Bach, Gabrielli, Britten, Saariaho, and others. Taken together, these activities illuminate the relationships between seemingly disparate pieces of music, placing them in the context of both their own historical era and the broad arc of music history.

Expanding the impact of new music, beyond the concert hall.

In 2019 SUITE TALK was presented in various forms at a diverse range of venues, including shows in Philadelphia at Old City Coffee, Dhyana Yoga, and Andrea Clearfield’s Music Salon; a special presentation for Penn Memory Center patients in Curtis’ Field Concert Hall; the Colorado Music Festival; a segment at Indianapolis’ Chatterbox Jazz Club; and a three-part series at  the Free Library of Philadelphia. PBS WHYY featured “Suite Talk” in a documentary that same year.

The future of SUITE TALK

To better extend the project’s reach, Zach and Nick are also producing a digital continuation of SUITE TALK in collaboration with Guarneri Hall NFP. We’ll be reaching out to listeners worldwide with art videos and online demonstrations & discussions, reconnecting new music to broader culture while shattering common misconceptions of classical music.

Free Library Series 2019

Parkway Central Branch, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

These interactive lecture recitals each honed in on a certain facet of the cello’s story, exploring how the works of Nick DiBerardino and Ira Mowitz fit into the cello’s historical narrative. The series culminated in a recital on June 16, featuring the new commissions alongside staples from the solo cello repertoire.

Suite Talk II: Dance

May 19th, 2019 - Music Department
3pm-4:30pm

How to dance like Bach. We discuss Bach’s dance suites in detail, how the form evolved through time, and how it guided and influenced music going forward. Together with the participants we investigate the connections between West African beats and dance rhythms of the 17th century French court!