on the record – Page 2 – The Oberlin Review

On the Record with Jennifer Torrence

Eilish Spear, Staff Writer

September 23, 2016

Percussionist Jennifer Torrence, OC ’09, is a solo and collaborative performer based in Oslo, Norway, where she is a research fellow at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Torrence specializes in contemporary percussion writing and performance, and her recent projects include writing evening-length solo productions and other percussion pieces with artists such as François Sarhan, Peter Swendsen, Trond Reinholdtsen, Woljtek Blecharz, Johan Jutterström, Carolyn Chen and Anna Mikhailova. She plays with the AJO ensemble and NorthArc Percussion in Norway and is the former principal percussionist of the Artic Philharmonic. She has worked with music legends such as Pierre Boulez and Jonathan Harvey and has premiered Unsuk ...

On the Record: Jennifer Hoock, OC ’83, Cat in the Cream Founder

May 6, 2016

Jennifer Hoock, OC ’83, aided in the re-establishment of the Cat in the Cream with roommates Charissa Smith, OC ’82, and Cheryl Serrone, OC ’83. She graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine and earned her MPH at the University of Washington. In addition to being associate director at Group Health Family Medicine Residency in Seattle, she is a founding member and director of development at Guatemala Village Health, a nonprofit organization that promotes education, better health car...

On the Record with Rachel Katz, Electronic Musician

April 8, 2016

Rachel Katz, who makes music as Xuan Rong, is a junior Computer Science major from New York who released her second EP, Bushka, in March. Her first album, Myria, was released in May 2015. She has performed live at Sidewalk Café and Pianos in New York City. The Review sat down with Katz to discuss the inspirations behind her latest release, her involvement in the TIMARA program and the intersectionality between computer science and music production. Katz will perform live at Clubhaus on Saturd...

On the Record with Tania Bruguera, activist and artist

April 1, 2016

Tania Bruguera is a political activist and performance artist hailing from Cuba. Her latest project, #YoTambienExijo (“I Also Demand”), involved the placement of a microphone in the middle of Revolution Square in Havana. The project, which is intended to give any interested person one minute of uncensored free speech on the microphone, is open to the public. Bruguera came to campus this week to speak on that project and on her concept “Political Timing Specific," a tool of self-explanation used to orie...

On the Record with Active Bird Community

Danny Evans, Arts Editor

February 26, 2016

Active Bird Community formed in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY — a quaint suburb outside New York City — when the band’s members were just 11 years old. Ten years later, the now New York City-based quartet is more active than ever. Its brainy, shoegaze-influenced take on indie rock has earned praise from publications like East of 8th, Cereal + Sounds, Showspark and IndieBeat. Active Bird Community performed at the ’Sco with fellow Hastings-on-Hudson indie-rockers Primate House last Friday, receiving a warm welcome from attendees. The show is one of many the band has played in support of its most recent release, I’ve Been Going Swimming, recorded at Salvation Recording Co. by Christopher Daly, who has also recorded cr...

On the Record with Francesca Blanchard, Singer-Songwriter

February 12, 2016

French singer-songwriter Francesca Blanchard has received praise from a number of publications, including Seven Days, for her signature brand of acoustic folk music, which incorporates influences of jazz and rock ’n’ roll. Fresh off her most recent LP, deux visions, released last October, Blanchard came to the Cat in the Cream for an intimate show backed by her current band. The Review sat down with Blanchard for a chat about writing lyrics in multiple languages, life as a touring musician and...

On the Record with Maria Miranda, Artist and Activist

February 5, 2016

Maria Miranda, a reproductive health activist from Cleveland, serves on the NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio board, works at an online reproductive health-oriented publication called RH Reality Check and has worked with other social justice organizations including Greater Cleveland Community Shares and Preterm. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to social activism. She has visited Oberlin twice before for reproductive health workshops and is one of three artist-activists who participated in ...

On the Record with Kyle James Hauser, Singer-Songwriter

November 20, 2015

Kyle James Hauser is a singer-songwriter, banjoist and guitarist currently based in Louisville, KY. Hauser studied songwriting at Berklee College of Music and has performed at such notable events as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, CMJ Festival in New York and the Toronto International Film Festival. Hauser’s recently-composed ballet, A Well Worn Path, follows up his two solo albums, 2012’s Oh Oh and 2014’s You a Thousand Times. Hauser visited Oberlin last Thursday to lead a songwriting workshop...

On the Record with Jessica Hopper, Music Critic and Author

November 13, 2015

Jessica Hopper is a senior editor at Pitchfork, a featured writer in Best Music Writing 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2011 and a writer at the online magazine Rookie. She inspired music fans at the Cat in the Cream on Thursday, Nov. 5 with a talk on her book, The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic. The Review spoke with Hopper about musical elitism, women in the music industry and the dangers of self-doubt. In the beginning of your book, you include this beautiful introduction ab...

On the Record with Jon Fine, OC ’89, Guitarist and Author

November 6, 2015

Jon Fine, OC ’89, released his memoir, Your Band Sucks: What I Saw at Indie Rock’s Failed Revolution (But Can No Longer Hear) last May to rave reviews. The book explores the rise and fall of the boundarypushing, genre-defining indie rock scene he helped establish during his time with bands like Don Caballero and Bitch Magnet, which formed at Oberlin during Fine’s first year. This past Wednesday at the ’Sco, Professor of Sociology Rick Baldoz hosted a question and answer session with Fine, w...

On the Record with Peter Swendsen, assistant professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts

October 9, 2015

Peter Swendsen joined Oberlin’s TIMARA faculty in 2007 as assistant professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts. Last year he released an album titled Allusions to Seasons and Weather, in which he captured his experiences in Norway almost 10 years ago. Currently serving as the chair of the TIMARA department, Swendsen gave a talk this past Tuesday about his soundscape compositions in relation to the field of ecoacoustics. You released your album Allusions to Seasons and Weather a year ago around...

On the Record with Jinjoo Cho, new teacher of Violin

September 4, 2015

Jinjoo Cho, a violinist from Seoul, South Korea, is joining the Oberlin Conservatory faculty this fall. At age 26, she was the winner of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis after previous successes at the Aspen Music Festival and the Alice Schoenfeld International String Competition. She has played with artists including Kent Nagano, Michael Stern, Yoel Levi and James Gaffigan, as well as numerous orchestras. Cho is also known for her community and outreach work and her engageme...