5 Questions to Peri Mauer (composer, cellist, conductor)

ARLENE & LARRY DUNN

on March 7, 2019 at 6:00 am

We first met Peri Mauer as our standmate in the back-row chorus for the world premiere of Marcos Balter’s Pan, which we performed with Claire Chase last year on her density vconcert. We quickly learned there is much more to Peri’s musical life than playing the ocarina and bamboo chimes, so we asked her five questions to dig a little deeper. 

YOU’VE TOLD US MUSIC HAS BEEN CORE TO YOUR LIFE FOREVER; HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC LIFE EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS?

As far back as I remember, music has been an essential part of my life. Born and raised in the Bronx, I took full advantage of the wonderful musical opportunities offered in New York City. I began piano at age 5, cello at 11, and attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (the Fame school). Lincoln Center was a second home to me starting with Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts and the Boulez Rug Concerts. At Patelson’s Music House, my third home, I experienced a major turning point by discovering the Webern Op. 11 cello pieces while browsing through their shelves of music. A piece can be 11 seconds long? What a discovery! I can honestly say I have not been the same since.

I spent a good deal of my practice time jamming on atypical cello sounds and hammering out “wrong” notes in quirky, spicy rhythms and harmonies on the piano. I attended Bard College, graduating with a degree in cello performance, and freelanced with various orchestras and musical theater productions in NYC. My interest in multi-genre cello performance had me playing in folk rock groups, latin bands, and composing, improvising, and playing music to off-Broadway classic theater productions. Eventually, I entered the Manhattan School of Music for an advanced degree in composition to better understand what I was doing on an academic level.

Read the rest of the interview here >> https://www.icareifyoulisten.com/2019/03/5-questions-to-peri-mauer-composer-cellist-conductor/?fbclid=IwAR03YK4n8PNYQpBJDmz0SEWjcJEfWVH83VDRwBw36N14qv7f7mZKtjMXAzU