Gabriel Kahane

After publishing on substack for the better part of two years, I finally got around to indexing my writings by subject. If you've not already subscribed, I encourage you to hop aboard for musings on literature, politics, music, technology, and more.
gabrielkahane.substack.com

I wrote about curiosity, contempt, our broken politics, and the search for the common good.

Curiosity or Contempt? Michael J. Sandel's 'The Tyranny of Merit,' and the search for the common good.

"We ask too much and too little of music. It cannot stop the bombs falling on Gaza any more than it can bring about universal health care in this country... On the other hand, when we allow music to do its singular work in the realm beyond language, it can be transformative. We will not easily be able to articulate how and when this work has been done... But I have an almost religious faith in the fact that this work is occurring, and that it operates in tandem with the social dimension of music.

Absolute Music Is Not A Luxury meaning, justice, and music’s role in society.

I wrote about the ongoing tragedies of this moment, my family's history, and the need to move beyond zero-sum 'isms' in our search for peace, Palestinian liberation, and Jewish safety and security.

Chanukah in Gaza toward an ism-free existence

It's that time of year, folks: what to do about that uncle who sits around at the holidays offering byzantine harmonic analysis of Taylor Swift songs? That's right, friends, if *you* have an insufferably pretentious music nerd in your family, now you can silence him for at least a few weeks with the Craigslistlieder/Twitterkreis Songbook, available on bandcamp. That's right, kids, IT'S BANDCAMP FRIDAY! gabrielkahane.bandcamp.com/merch

One of the great joys of the last month was sharing the stage with in the premiere of ‘Elevator Songs,’ first at in Seattle, and then at in Iowa City. I feel immense gratitude to be on a journey with these amazing singers and humans. Catch the piece in January in San Francisco, and again in February in Santa Barbara… more to come!

Impossible to express what a singularly moving week it was with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra & my dad, Jeffrey Kahane, over the holiday. The orchestra played with unending heart and sensitivity, and were so generous as I did my best not to be a total fool on the podium in my subscription conducting debut.

It’s always a pleasure to make music with my dad, but this set of concerts stands apart, perhaps because it realized for him (as he put it) a 54 year-old dream of collapsing the boundaries between folk & formal musics (we did duo versions of tunes by Connie Converse and Paul Simon, in addition to my piano concerto, the Gershwin Rhapsody, and orchestral songs of mine)… all to say: thank you, Saint Paul, for a week I will never, ever forget.

(As always, gentle reminder to subscribe to my newsletter, as I seldom post here: gabrielkahane.substack.com)

We have a band. It’s called Council. We’ve written a dozen-and-a-half songs and look forward to playing them for you in the US and Australia next year. Get involved! 🍻

I wrote some advice to young composers that I might as well be giving to myself, with mentions of Beethoven, Julius Eastman, Caroline Shaw, Ligeti, and more... (and a reminder to please subscribe!)

Letter to a Young Composer On excavation, adjacencies, and what it means to have a "voice."

Hi folks! This is a super gentle reminder that I basically never post here. For more frequent updates, please s*bscr*be to my s*bst*ack, where I offer news about performances and premieres, as well as writings on music, literature, technology, politics, and whatever else is on my mind - gabrielkahane dot substack dot com

At long last, I’ve hit the double-bar on ‘Elevator Songs,’ a celebration of the individual voices that comprise Roomful of Teeth. Folks who are familiar with the group know what incredible technical and stylistic range they have, but it’s less often that we get to hear them just sing…songs. So that’s where this piece lives: I wrote an anthology/songbook for the group, in which each singer has a tune, accompanied by the others. Cameron convinced me to write myself into the piece, so yeah, I’m there, too. The work is scored for nine voices (their eight plus mine) along with piano, electric guitar, violin, and vibraphone, all played by folks within the ensemble. Premiere is next Thursday in Seattle, with additional performances in Iowa City, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. Can’t hardly wait.

In anticipation of this week's premiere of 'Judith,' a new orchestral work that I've written to open the 23/24 Oregon Symphony season this weekend, I made an annotated playlist that includes some of my favorite tunes. Music by, among others, Jesca Hoop, Hamza El-Din, J.S. Bach, Györgi Ligeti, Carla Kihlstedt, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dirty Projectors, Feist, Gabriella Smith, Connie Converse, Aaron Embry, Danish String Quartet, Thomas Adès, and more... and as a reminder, please subscribe to my newsletter; I post here very infrequently!

songs for judith on the occasion of an orchestral premiere, I've made an annotated playlist

All the news that's fit to print, with mentions of the Oregon Symphony, Attacca Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, Julius Eastman, and more... I advise subscribing to the newsletter, as I seldom post here anymore!

a reliable four-part cocktail an early autumn dispatch pertaining to the coming month's activity

I'm thrilled to report that the new and expanded 'Open Music' series, presented by the Oregon Symphony and curated by me, kicks off on Friday, October 6 at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts with 'Stay On It,' a metaphorical three-ring circus featuring music by nine composers ranging from Julius Eastman, Meredith Monk, and Steve Reich, to Andy Akiho, Reena Esmail, and Shelley Washington. I'll be on hand as host, singer, and pianist. It's going to be SO MUCH FUN!! PDX folk, spread the word, scoop up those seats, and come hang out...

Special thanks to Alex Sopp for letting me use her beautiful portrait of Julius Eastman for this poster.

https://thereser.org/event/stay-on-it-minimalism-past-present-future/

Five years ago today, ‘Book of Travelers’ was released by Nonesuch Records. I made the album in the wake of a long train trip following the 2016 election. In an atmosphere brimming over with contempt, I’d hoped to capture raw human stories that might shrink the psychic and spiritual distance between “us” and “them.” While mainstream media continues, today, to drive wedges between folks who ought to be allies, I do see some reason for hope: the strength of labor movements across the country suggests that people are coming together, across difference, to build coalitions around shared material concern. There’s a lot to lament in today’s world, but as an artist and parent, resignation doesn’t feel like an option. Thank you to everyone who’s listened to the record, come to shows, covered these songs, and been generally supportive of this kind of work. I see & appreciate you. Last but not least, thanks to Joseph Lorge for making the record sound the way it does. I couldn’t have done it without you! 🚂❤️

I wrote about solitude, collaboration, and emotional triage.

A few housekeeping notes: I post very little here. You can find me on Threads & Instagram under the handle . And I'd be delighted if you subscribed to my substack, below. That's all!

To the Finland Station On being alone in Northern Karelia

"...what’s really killing these cultural landmarks is the same thing that’s killing small businesses throughout the economy: a perversion of free-market capitalism in which government thumbs the scale in favor of hulking conglomerates, which swallow or otherwise undermine competition."

I wrote about Rockwood Music Hall, a venue I deeply love, and which needs our help.

Rockwood Music Hall: A Love Story A beloved venue needs our help

It's difficult to articulate just how much Rockwood Music Hall has meant to me—and to so many other musicians—over the last fifteen years. Like so many other songwriters, I was nurtured by the venue and the community it fostered. It's now in danger of shutting its doors, which would be nothing less than a tragedy for the ecosystem of live music in New York City and beyond. Please consider making a donation, as I just did, to help preserve this incredible NYC institution.

Preserve Rockwood, organized by Rockwood Music Hall An urgent message to artists and music lovers: Rockwood Music Hall needs your help: Ov… Rockwood Music Hall needs your support for Preserve Rockwood

"...the central tension of the book is this: how does a poet for whom language is an existential necessity recalibrate his sense of order when he becomes the father of a neuro-divergent child, one for whom basic communication is a challenge? How do parents who were raised with a particular set of bourgeois meritocratic standards, ones that do not make space for atypical children, reimagine their values surrounding education, community, and the dominant conception of intelligence?"

I wrote about my dear friend Matthew Zapruder's heartbreakingly beautiful new memoir.

https://gabrielkahane.substack.com/p/story-of-a-poem

A brief post about musical friendship & the mostly lost art (at least in pop music) of everybody-at-the-same-time recording, on the occasion of Sylvan Esso's magical new EP, for which I was lucky enough to do string arrangements (played by the incredible Attacca Quartet).

Will The Night a magic moment in the studio

The world was experiencing an acute shortage of Tár Takes™, so I have belatedly stepped in to fill the void.

Dancing about architecture Some thoughts on Todd Field's Tár

Couple agenda items, friends!

1) for those in Portland, there's a fantastic Oregon Symphony concert happening this Friday, May 5, at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts. Music by Ted Hearne, C.P.E. Bach, Jessie Montgomery, Beethoven, Györgi Ligeti, Mozart, Andrew Norman, and Louise Farrenc. I'll be on hand as host and will make a brief cameo... https://thereser.org/event/the-law-of-mosaics-a-musical-montage-across-four-centuries/

2) Next week (May 10-11) I'll be in Vancouver doing back-to-back shows (Book of Travelers and Magnificent Bird), presented by the wonderful Music on Main. https://www.musiconmain.ca/event/gabriel-kahane-book-of-travelers/

3) I don't post much here. You can find me on instagram , but better yet, subscribe to my (free!) substack (gabrielkahane.substack.com). I'm trying to get into the habit of writing something 2-3 times a month; sometimes about music, literature, politics, technology, and the occasional update about my career. --> https://gabrielkahane.substack.com/

Oh my goodness! It’s a pleasure to announce that I’ve curated the 2024 PIVOT Festival as an artist-in-residence for San Francisco Performances. Three nights of collaboration with two of my favorite ensembles. As part of this project, I’m writing large works for both groups, and in the final concert, we’ll all share the stage. Get involved!! cc: San Francisco Performances Attacca Quartet Roomful of Teeth

The Gigue Economy: Baroque Dance Forms as Commodity in the Age of Late Capitalism (Duke University Press 2025)

That’s a wrap on five beautiful days and nineteen songs at Flora Recording & Playback in PDX. Big shoutout to the one and only Joseph Lorge for staying cool as a cucumber while dialing in the sick tones. And a big virtual bear-hug to Tucker Martine for making us feel welcome in his incredible studio: 10/10, no notes, would recommend to anyone who’s making a record. Last but not least, thank you to Yamaha Artist Services & Classic Pianos for sending a helluva C7X. Hoo boy! Stay tuned.

People just don't write personal ads the way they used to...

Gabriel Kahane on Instagram: "“Neurotic and Lonely,” from ‘Craigslistlieder,’ a cycle of eight songs I wrote in 2006 with lyrics verbatim from Craigslist." 585 Likes, 26 Comments - Gabriel Kahane () on Instagram: "“Neurotic and Lonely,” from ‘Craigslistlieder,’ a cycle of eight songs I wrote in 2006 wi..."

Chicagoans, take note!

Super psyched that this summer, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is gonna do 'Heirloom,' the piano concerto I wrote for my dad (Jeffrey Kahane), at the Ravinia Festival! The great Teddy Abrams conducts. August 10! Get involved!

📸: Brian Feinzimer (Chris Rountree conducting Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)

https://www.ravinia.org/ShowDetails/2133/heirloom-jeffrey-kahane-plays-gabriel-kahane-with-the-cso

Big thanks to the audiences and presenters who made this European tour such a beautiful experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect in doing such a personal piece over here, and I’m so grateful to the audiences who welcomed it with such open hearts and minds. Hero of the year award goes to Marc Cardonnel (Rain dog productions), who booked the tour, sold the merch, located the boeuf bourguignon on the second floor of an antique shop in Bordeaux, and found us a pair of train tickets back to Paris last night after our original booking had been canceled due to the ongoing strike. Can’t wait to see y’all again soon!!

📷: 1 & 9 - Maxime Dollo
4 - Eric Devillet for Philharmonie Luxembourg
7 - my internet-phobic uncle-in-law who shall remain nameless.

cc: Nonesuch Records Elbphilharmonie Hamburg KD Palme Opéra de Lyon Café De la Danse Le Rocher de Palmer Équinoxe - Scène nationale de Châteauroux