The Relache Chronicles
THE RELACHE CHRONICLES is a podcast about musicians residing in what we call “the Margins of American Music.” In these 30-to-45-minute episodes, we’ll play recordings – primarily by The Relache Ensemble from Philadelphia - of complete musical works plus commentary by composers, performers, and others with insight to the music. Throughout the podcast, we’ll discuss the guest composers’ processes, how they utilized current and past technologies and how the acoustical properties of a given space informed the creation and performance of a musical work. Finally, we will discuss how the composers’ relationship with the musicians brought the music to life. Episodes feature music by John Cage, Robert Ashley, Joe Kasinskas, Pauline Oliveros, Guy Klucevsek, Eve Beglarian, Fred Ho, Phill Niblock, Romulus Franceschini, Bill Duckworth, Lois v Vierk, and an overview of the New Music America Festival 1987 - Philadelphia, and the expansive residency/performance project named Music in Motion. THE RELACHE CHRONICLES is produced, directed, and edited, by Arthur Stidfole with Joseph Franklin, Joe Kasinskas, and Arthur Sabatini. Throughout their careers, they have been performing musicians, composers, executive and artistic directors, university teachers, radio hosts and authors, dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Episodes
28 episodes
Episode Twenty-Eight - Comin' On Home: A Concert For Guy
On February 25, 2026 “Comin’ On Home – A Concert for Guy” was held at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY. On the day before what would have been his 79th birthday, the concert celebrated the life and music of accordionist, composer and performer, Guy Klu...
Episode Twenty-Seven - The Walkings
Created, written and performed by Arthur Sabatini, The Walkings are literary and poetic musings and commentaries set to music of William Duckworth’s “The Time Curve Preludes,” played by pianist Neely Bruce from a recording on the Lovel...
Episode Twenty-Six - Joe Kasinskas
Composer Joe Kasinskas moved to the Philadelphia area when the Relache Ensemble was still in a formative stage of defining itself as a performing entity. Its mission was, of course, performing new music within the experimental music tradi...
Episode Number Five - Eve Beglarian
Three works by composer and media artist Eve Beglarian titled “Fresh Air,” “Machaut in the Machine Age,” and “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” performed by the Relache Ensemble and the MATA En...
Episode Twenty-Five "Bertolt Brecht and Song"
Bertolt Brecht, playwright, director, poet and provocateur, was a dynamic figure throughout his life, whether it be in his native Germany or during his residence in the United States. Best known for collaborating with composer Kurt Weill ...
Episode Number Three - Pauline Oliveros "The Well"
This is a major work by the pioneering composer, sound artist and activist, Pauline Oliveros. Created in collaboration with dancer-choreographer, Deborah Hay, and the Relache Ensemble whil...
Episode Two - Joe Kasinskas "Echoes in Palindromes"
Episode No. 2 Joe Kasinskas. One of the more dynamic works in the Relache Ensemble’s extensive catalogue of site-specific performances is titled “Echoes in Palindromes” by composer Joe Kasinskas. Following a carefully scripted grap...
Episode Twenty Four - IN C - Terry Riley
Episode Twenty- Four – IN C by Terry Riley Of all the musical works that the Relache Ensemble played during its long history none is more memorable than IN C by Terry Riley. Arguably, IN C is one of the most important musical ...
Episode Twenty Three - Guy Klucevsek
This episode is devoted to our close friend and collaborator of many years, accordionist-composer, Guy Klucevsek. Guy passed away on May 22nd after a long battle with neuroendocrine cancer. To call Guy a virtuoso accordionist is, of cours...
Episode Twenty Two - Mary Ellen Childs
Among the many composers to write music for the Relache Ensemble, Mary Ellen Childs has been one of the more active collaborators. The first of her compositions for Relache is named “Parterre.” It became a prominent part of Relache’...
Episode Twenty One - Kyle Gann
Episode Twenty One – Kyle GannFor those of us who were participants in and/or avid listeners to “new” and “experimental” music in the mid-to-late 20th century, Kyle Gann’s name is resonant with the history of the musical arts durin...
Episode Twenty - Paul Epstein
Paul Epstein’s music is deceptive. What appear to be beautiful melodies set within easy-to-recognize harmonies that cradle traditional tonal centers demand careful listening. Those melodies and harmonies are tricky. They slip in and out o...
Episode Nineteen - Music in In Motion No. 3
Episode Nineteen of the Relache Chronicles is the third of three dedicated to Music in Motion, a project created by the Relache Organization in partnership with the Atlantic Center for the Arts. ...
Episode Eighteen - Music in Motion No. 2
Episode Eighteen is a continuation of Music in Motion, a project created by the Relache Organization in partnership with the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Between 1995 and 2001 the Relache Ensemble and four other ensembles, each dedicated to th...
Episode Seventeen - Music in Motion No. 1
Episode Seventeen – Music in Motion & Arturo MarquezMusic in Motion was a project created by the Relache Organization in partnership with the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Between 1995 and 2001 the Relache Ensemble and four other ens...
Episode Sixteen - Lois V Vierk
Lois V Vierk is a unique voice in the recent history of music in America. She has composed stunning works for multiples of the same instrument that are technically complex and yield a mesmerizing aural expe...
Episode Fifteen - Robert Ashley
Episode Fifteen – Robert Ashley“Since he began composing and performing in the late 1950s, Robert Ashley has created a wholly original body of work. Continuously productive, his oeuvre encompasses nearly all versions of music and musi...
Episode Fourteen - Annson Kenney
Episode Fourteen - Annson KenneyAnnson Kenney was a dynamic presence in Philadelphia from the mid-sixties until his death in late 1981. A visual artist, writer, performer, and composer, Annson was a difficult man to pin down....
Episode Thirteen - James Tenney and Critical Band
Critical Band, an extraordinary composition by James Tenney has been described as a “sound poem,” and an “aural flower” slowly unfolding as the pitch tableau becomes evident and clear to the listener. John Cage, a long-time...
Episode Twelve - Bill Duckworth
William Duckworth – known as Bill to his friends – was a composer, educator and author who wrote for contemporary ensembles and soloists throughout a busy compositional career in the mid to late twentieth century. He was a professor of music at...
Episode Eleven - New Music America 1987 Philadelphia (3 of 3)
Episode 11Episode 11 is the third of three episodes of music and commentary from the New Music America Festival 1987 in Philadelphia, produced and presented by the Relache organization. Sound installations and outdoor performances in som...
Episode Ten - Guy Klucevsek's "Polka from the Fringe" NMA 1987 Philadelphia (2 of 3)
Episode 10 is the second of three episodes of music and commentary from the New Music America Festival 1987 in Philadelphia, produced and presented by the Relache organization. This episode is one of our favorites. It features the premiere perf...
Episode Nine - New Music America 1987 Philadelphia (1 of 3)
Episode Nine - New Music America 1987 Philadelphia (1 of 3)In 1979, a group of composers, performers, video artists, producers, presenters, and other experimental artists met at The Kitchen, a renowned Downtown NY performance space...
Episode Eight - Romulus Franceschini
Romulus Franceschini was a composer, arranger, music editor and assistant curator at the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral music in Philadelphia, his hometown. Raised in the vibrant Italian American community in South Philly, Romulus a...
Episode Seven - Phill Niblock
As the founding director of the Experimental Intermedia foundation, Phill Niblock has presented hundreds, if not thousands of concerts at his space in downtown New York City. As a composer, he has created numerous musical works for performing e...