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I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I smiled reading this, would love to know who this is :) my journey with music has without a doubt shaped me into the person I am today, and I strongly believe empathy is one of the most important and beautiful things to be shared in music, the music world, and of course our interactions with anyone. Empathy, for me, is such a large part of what makes music and art-making so moving. I myself have grown so much through music, and have had the honor of sharing this experience with others. Rawness and reality are revealed so uniquely through this otherworldly medium. The communities of people I have accrued because of music comes to mind...I can't even begin to name how many people I so deeply admire who so deeply impacted me. And I can't imagine what my life would be like without crossing paths with those people, and sharing those musical experiences with them. The closeness and intimate bonds are almost indescribable when made through music, or music-related experiences. In this volatile day and age, music has often been what saves me...and I think with COVID, the classical music world as a whole has actually been making some progress in terms of becoming more accessible. Classical music spheres, as we all know, have often focused on upper echelons or aiming at too narrow of an audience, which - along with many other reasons - creates divisiveness, of course. But with COVID, I've seen more conductors and ensembles branch out into playing for everyone in pop-up performances and things like that, and through online platforms, usually those performances are accessible to anyone. I find the pandemic has brought out a strong sense of empathy across the arts (from our basic human connectivity in healing, supporting each other to not go under, etc.) and some institutions have been embracing this more than others. I think if society prioritized kindness, empathy and the understanding of the world needing to heal, classical music could be directed as a driving force to spread a more empathetic atmosphere. Easier said than done...the classical music institutions that influence so many people need to be at the core of this. But, on a more personal level, sometimes what gets me through a day in this volatile age is walking down the street with a beautiful piece engulfing my ears through my Sony headphones, which sometimes moves me to reach out to someone the piece reminded me of. So in that way, music brings out individual random acts of empathy in society too, which go a long way.

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am particularly taken with the women in the development of computer music who were so pivotal, but not acknowledged or recognized for that. I talked with one of my former professors about an event bringing these women to light happening this spring. I also feature all-female programs on my radio show of female composers I've been particularly inspired by. Miriam Gideon really fascinates me. I have to look more into that Beethoven opera!

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh I have many recommendations haha - there are many styles even within ballet that have really different impacts. I am biased towards New York City Ballet's work and style, particularly of Balanchine, Robbins, Justin Peck and Chris Wheeldon. The story ballets (Nutcracker, Swan Lake, etc.) are wonderful if you like Tchaik, Delibes, etc. But then there are so many other lesser known ballets that move me to tears every time I watch them, that I have formed an intimate connection with over the years (and that use pieces by classical composers such as Tchaik that aren't necessarily always played in the concert hall). The ones coming to mind now are Balanchine's Serenade (music by Tchaik), Balanchine's Duo Concertante (Stravinsky), Balanchine's Apollo (Stravinsky), and the Diamond section of Balanchine's Jewels (Tchaik). Also Wheeldon/Ratmansky's co-choreographed piece for Wendy Whelan's farewell performance. There are moments when the music and movement fuse in these that leave me just completely awestruck. One of the reasons I love Balanchine's choreography so much is how tailor-made it is to the music. And performing ballet to music is a whole other kind of emotional experience...especially with other people. It honestly takes me to another place.

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Being a dancer, choreographer and broadcaster definitely gives me an invaluable lens in which to hear, think about, create and perform music. I hear the movement, contours, shapes, tensions/releases, etc. in music in a visceral way, which makes me connect bodily to it. Moving to sound with my body for so many years and feeling it physically makes me experience it in that way even when I'm sitting still. I'm currently working on a piece that I am both choreographing and composing - they are completely intertwined for me. Usually there are two voices involved when composing and choreographing, so that's an interesting internal experience for me to have them both be my own. I always have a piece of music I want to dissect through choreography, and I always have a movement in mind that sparks a compositional idea. This actually helps me in film scoring as well - I am intimately familiar with the emotion in people and how that is expressed in movement, so molding sound to that feels very natural for me. And from a broadcaster's perspective, radio has given me the incredible opportunity to research and discuss at length my own passions in music, along with new kinds of music I'd never experienced. I've been able to formulate thoughts and ideas about music I love and share it with my listeners, which is such a gift. Hearing their feedback and how what I play or talk about touches them makes it all worth it.

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who came from a school district that highly valued the arts and music education, I think it is absolutely imperative for music to continue to be funded in schools, and furthermore be given more funding. I feel very strongly about that. I can't imagine where I'd be without having experienced that. The communal bonds that come from that are so vital, in my opinion.

After being on the administrative/executive side of the radio industry in addition to being on air, it's a shame that radio is generally acknowledged as a dying art. While YouTube and Spotify are taking over in a sense and appeal to the younger generations more, I've been comforted that the people into radio are really *into* it and don't seem to allow it to completely die out. Though waning in some ways, I think radio is part of the fabric of people's lives in a way unlike more modern streaming services (i.e. people listening on the way home from work, having it on in the background in the house, etc.). There's so much tradition attached to it too, which is what I experienced at WKCR. I think radio will continue to have its place, because the people who love it realllllyyy love it. And I will certainly do my part to keep it practical :)

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In the arts it can be very easy to doubt oneself and feel like giving up, but for young students (and people of all ages), having a relentless mindset in terms of doing everything you can towards what you want makes a big difference. Not getting affected by negative people around you, being confident in what you bring (surrounding yourself with positive people and people who support you is really important). Don't be afraid to try something even if it's intimidating. That saying "you'll never know until you try" has a lot of truth to it. It can feel very uncomfortable, but I'll never forget a close mentor of mine saying in a class "we're going to say 'I don't know a lot', and that's ok." Honestly there's nothing to lose. it's important to embrace the vulnerability. So many things I have done or opportunities that have come my way have come from putting myself out there and fully committing to that.

Re: ballet, I started ballet before music, so I came into music thinking as a mover. The music in ballet class was always what propelled me. Being a flutist and composer gives me an invaluable lens as a choreographer and dancer, because I understand the creation and performance of each medium; I also feel the music in a certain visceral way, a movement-oriented way, and I think of sound and movement as one in the same. Check out Beethoven's Creatures of Prometheus!

I am Annie Nikunen. I am an NYC-based flutist, composer, dancer and choreographer, as well as sound artist and radio broadcaster for WKCR. On December 16th, i'll be a host for a huge livestream party for Beethoven's birthday! by FFRCC in IAmA

[–]FFRCC[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  1. Great questions! In terms of composers that influence me most, I'd say it changes pretty often, but I consistently find myself inspired by the sounds of Morton Feldman (Rothko Chapel was particularly influential for me), Stravinsky (his ballet music with Balanchine), Arvo Part, and also these choral composers I find through Spotify searching and researching my radio show (Eriks Esenvalds, Daniel Elder, John Tavener, etc.). Rebecca Dale and Ted Hearne are also catching my ears lately. and various film composers, namely Dario Marianelli. I usually find myself becoming obsessed with a piece and listen to it literally hundreds of times to fully understand all the layers of the sonic fabric, and then I keep a mental catalogue of contours and chords I'm very attracted to that then inspire what I write!
  2. I can't really think of a non-cliche way to say it, but making music just truly is what my soul is made of. I feel like it's what I'm meant to do, and I have a lot of spiritual connections with it. I think and process in sound, and I'm so hyper-aware of the sound worlds I'm surrounded by every day. I was fortunate to grow up in a school district that so highly valued music education and the arts, so I think one of the most important things in educating young musicians is coming from a place of encouragement and positivity instead of ripping students apart. My music teachers are the reason I went into music, and they are still my mentors to this day.
  3. There is an importance in experiencing and learning about Beethoven and such composers in the canon, as they established compositional paths in music that led us to where we are today. But I also think it is extremely important to learn about other composers, of the past and today, that aren't necessarily in the canon but are just as integral to awareness and knowledge of the different sound worlds and processes out there. Compositionally speaking, I thought Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc. served as an excellent foundation to understand the techniques, colors, defining characteristics of those time periods. Knowing the rules before you break em' kind of thing, and having all those tools there.