music/Maker with Tyler Kline

On today's episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer Shuying Li.Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as "vivid, dramatic" and described by The Seattle Times as "a real talent," Shuying Li writes bold, emotionally charged music that blends rich colors with compelling storytelling. Originally from China, she began her training at the Shanghai Conservatory before earning a scholarship to the Hartt School and going on to complete her master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan. Her works have been performed by the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Alarm Will Sound, and many others worldwide. She is currently on the faculty at California State University, Sacramento.In this conversation, Shuying and Tyler trace her unlikely path to composition — from a medical family in China, to a spontaneous cross-country audition tour, to the culture shock of arriving at the Hartt School and hearing for the first time that she could simply write whatever she wanted. They talk about the long, slow process of unlearning the need to impress and finding music as a means of connection instead, the universal stories that anchor her work, and how founding the Four Corners Ensemble reshaped her understanding of collaboration. They also get into her compositional process, her recent push to fold jazz, blues, minimalism, and EDM into her concert music, and her belief that a finished score is only about half the piece — the rest belonging equally to performers and audiences.Learn more about Shuying and her work at https://www.shuyingli.com/...music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday! Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.comSubscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work: looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram @loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.

On today's episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by guitarist and composer Jessica Ackerley.Described by Wire Magazine as "one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the free music scene in recent years," Jessica Ackerley has built a distinctive voice across 25 releases as a bandleader and co-leader, working with labels such as Innova, AKP Recordings, and 577 Records. Their music has earned acclaim from Pitchfork, BBC Radio, and Wire Magazine, appearing on multiple critics' year-end lists. They have received commissions from Bang on a Can, NYSFA, and New Music USA; a nomination for the Academy of Arts and Letters Music Composition Award; and residencies at Banff Center for the Arts, the International Gugak Workshop in Seoul, and the Arctic Circle Residency.In this conversation, Jessica and Tyler trace the arc of Ackerley's artistic life — from rural Alberta to doctoral studies at the University of Hawaii — digging into a compositional process that begins not with notation but with drawing, and a musical identity that refuses easy categorization. They discuss graphic notation as a tool for equity and collaboration, how Jessica's roots in jazz and rock quietly surface in music written for contemporary ensembles, and the lasting impact of the Arctic Circle Residency on their work. The episode closes with Jessica reflecting on a label that follows them everywhere — "experimental" — and why they wish people would pause before reaching for it.Learn more about Jessica at https://www.jessicaackerley.com/music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday! Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.comSubscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work: looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram @loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.

On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer Nicky Sohn.Nicky's music is jazz-inflected and rhythmically driven, with vivid, colorful orchestration that tends to win over a room. Her work spans orchestral, chamber, ballet, and vocal repertoire, and has been performed by the St. Louis Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Korea, and many others. Recent highlights include a sold-out Guitar Concerto No. 1 with the Albany Symphony featuring guitarist Bokyung Byun — later presented at the 2025 Tanglewood Music Festival — a large-scale ballet for BalletCollective premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and Galaxy Back to You for the Balourdet Quartet, featured on their debut album. This season brings three new orchestral premieres with the Atlanta Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and Orchestra Lumos.In this conversation, Nicky traces her path from an early piano start to a pivotal turn toward composition, through burnout, a reset in Berlin, and a supportive chapter at Rice/Houston. She and Tyler talk about community as the engine of her practice, storytelling drawn from Korean folktales, and writing with broader listenability in mind. Nicky also shares how a love of jazz shapes her sense of motion and harmony, and how a weekday “9–5” routine, boundaries, and life outside music have brought balance—and new brightness—to her work.Learn more about Nicky and hear her music at https://www.nickysohn.com/....music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.com.Subscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work: https://looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.

On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by Christopher Stark.Christopher’s music is deeply rooted in the landscapes of the American West, shaped by his upbringing in rural Montana and informed by a sensitivity to sound, space, and place. A Guggenheim Fellow and Rome Prize recipient, his work has been performed by ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alarm Will Sound, and the American Composers Orchestra. His output spans concert music and film, all marked by a vivid sense of atmosphere and attention to sonic detail.In this conversation, Christopher reflects on how landscape, identity, and environment intertwine in his work, and on the ways patience, revision, and trust guide his process. He and Tyler talk about how his small-town beginnings and self-taught guitar playing led to a life in composition, and how that early curiosity evolved through mentorship and teaching. They discuss residencies as spaces for artistic renewal, the balance between individuality and "finding your people" in the contemporary music world, and how creative work can carry the imprint of the places we come from.Christopher and his work can be found online at: https://christopher-stark.com/...music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.comSubscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work: looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram @loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.

On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer, performer, vocalist, and producer Anuj Bhutani.Described by PATRON Magazine as “a force multiplier with more talents than time,” Anuj creates music that moves between visceral grooves, meditative textures, narrative depth, and a fluid mix of acoustic and electronic sound. A first-generation Indian American, his work often inhabits liminal spaces—drawing from classical, emo/screamo, ambient, singer-songwriter, and electronic traditions—and engages deeply with theater, dance, and film.His music has been performed by Beth Morrison Projects, MATA, the American Composers Orchestra, The Crossing, and artists across a broad spectrum of new music. He has received awards from Chamber Music America, ASCAP, Verdigris, Nief-Norf, and organizations nationwide, with recent residencies at Loghaven, Avaloch, Banff, Atlantic Center for the Arts, VCCA, and others.In this conversation, Anuj traces a nonlinear path into music—moving from metal bands and DIY songwriting to psychology studies, then into community college and formal composition training. He and Tyler talk about how personal history, cultural identity, and in-between spaces have shaped his voice; how genre-fluid listening opened new artistic possibilities; and how curiosity, intuition, and narrative emerge as guiding forces in his process. They also discuss the evolving performance practice behind his work, what it means to hold multiple musical worlds at once, and how storytelling—especially in his project Manu—is opening the door to new creative directions.Anuj is online at https://www.anujbhutani.com/...music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.comSubscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work:looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram @loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.

On today’s episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by composer, violist, and educator Kurt Rohde (they/he).Kurt lives and works in San Francisco on unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land. Their practice is animated by the question of how “failure” and “catastrophe” can be folded into the pursuit of beauty. They serve as Artistic Advisor with Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Artistic Director of the Composers Conference, and teach composition at UC Davis. Honors include the Rome Prize, Berlin Prize, fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute and Guggenheim Foundation, and awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Barlow, Fromm, Hanson, Koussevitzky, New Music USA, Chamber Music America, and Creative Capital. Kurt also leads initiatives that open doors for composers at different stages of life and access — from Pathways and the Left Coast Commission Fund to The Farewell Tour Project, commissioning new works for viola.In this conversation, Kurt traces an artistic life that began with home-grown notation experiments on the viola and widened through formative mentorships, a reset in contemporary performance at Stony Brook, and a return to composing in San Francisco. They and Tyler talk about collaboration as a lifeline, rebuilding institutions with more transparent and humane processes, and what it takes to make work that feels honest in public. Kurt reflects on how visual art and graphic notation have shaped their scores over time in surprising ways; how teaching, listening, and community inform their values; and why sincerity — even when it risks failure — remains the core of their practice.Kurt is online at https://www.kurtrohde.com/...music/Maker episodes release every other Thursday!Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.com.Subscribe to the Loose Leaf Transmissions newsletter for new episodes, behind-the-scenes updates, and ways to support the work:looseleaftransmissions.beehiiv.com/subscribeSupport us on Patreon at patreon.com/LooseLeafTransmissionsFollow along on Instagram @loose.leaf.transmissionsmusic/Maker is a production of Loose Leaf Transmissions: Made for All Ears.