8 Questions with Aleksandra Vrebalov
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Novi Sad, in the northern province of the then Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. After several wars in the 1990s, the country split into many smaller states. I moved to the United States during that time, while the rest of my family stayed in Serbia.What made you realize that music was your path?
I was in preschool when I got an upright piano from my parents. I began to play and improvise by myself as I was too little to enroll into a music school. In elementary school, I hand copied piano pieces that I played. Although my parents were not musicians, music was always present in my upbringing. The path gradually revealed itself in many small ways. Music was what made me feel the most expressive and happy, so eventually the choice seemed inevitable.How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Engaging. I love to explore structure and emotion, so those two elements are the basis of my work. Also, understanding that everything is energy. Setting a piece of music in motion and experiencing how it reshapes time and affects both performers and listeners, while at the same time feeding off of their very presence, is exhilarating.Who are your biggest musical influences?
Speaking of our contemporaries, I’m always intrigued and inspired by Terry Riley. His work reflects his personality and values as well as a sense of freedom, spirituality, and exploration that resonates with me. Among performers, my long term collaboration with Kronos Quartet definitely shaped my urge towards musical diversity and exploration both culturally and in sound. As far as a music collective that shapes our musical world with creative input and ideas, I love Bang on a Can.Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most proud of?
I feel lucky to have had numerous moments that are socially defined as success to be proud of, but what excites me most is when my work brings me close with people who are outside of that system of validation. That mostly means bridging cultural barriers and establishing a relationship based on making music with closed communities, disadvantaged young people, and people on the margins of the society, for instance. One specific example that I am very proud of was bringing together two worlds that wouldn’t meet otherwise - monks from a solitary medieval monastery in Kovilj/Serbia to perform side by side with Kronos Quartet in my piece Beyond Zero: 1914-1918 in Carnegie Hall.What made you want to write?
I started as a child, so writing music and writing words came almost at the same time - it was playful, it was a fun thing to do.What is your favorite thing about the work you wrote for Sybarite5?
I love that My Desert, My Rose is a co-creative experience. The score is, for a big part, open; calling for choices and decisions made by each player independently. They are offered a context, a framework, but it’s on them to make decisions based on their imagination and artistic integrity — and complete the piece.What’s the next thing for you?
I’m working on my third opera with librettist Deborah Brevoort. It’s a story about military wives and will premiere in 2021 at Glimmerglass Opera.