In this special edition of WGXC’s “Overlooked,” listeners will be treated to performances of works by young composers from Bard College. With help from Bard College Conservatory of Music’s Associate Director of Production, Marc Mancus, and Graduate AV Assistant, James Chou, “Overlooked" host Rob Saffer has compiled recordings of works by young composers, performed in some cases by professional musicians, in others by Bard’s student musicians. Many pieces are the earliest works and/or first performances of young composers taught by many of Bard Music Program’s and Bard College Conservatory of Music’s esteemed faculty, including Joan Tower, Sarah Hennies, Angelica Sanchez, Missy Mazzoli, Jessie Montgomery, Erica Lindsay, George Tsontakis, Kyle Gann, and Matt Sargent. For most of these composers, this will be the first time their music is being broadcast on radio. The show will feature works by 19 different student composers. Last year’s program featuring Bard composers aired on June, 11, 2024 and is available in the “Overlooked” archive here. 

Playlist: 

Between Time Festival (excerpt) - Michael Jones (percussion/electronics)

Vitus Labrusca (Overlooked theme) - Ben LaMar Gay

Arboretum - Artemy Mukhin

Untitled - Santiago Mieres 

Deep Blue Water - Olivia Marhevka 

Loam and Blue Oak Spirit - Rowan Robison

Number One Dad - Magdelena Teisler

Dance Through Dusk - Ethan Wood

Scalea - Drew Fankenberg

Suspensions - Faisal Jones

Sunspots - Elena Hause

Decimal Undulations - Emily T

Accented Pulse - Julian Raheb

Three Paces - Lili M. Namaz

Burn Melt - Sam Mutter

Alien Life - Steve Bonacci

Fantasy III. Grave - Sky Metting

Breaking News - Manar Hashmi

Wheel - Pamela Zhang

Play - Logan Settle Rishard

Between Time Festival (excerpt) - Michael Jones (percussion/electronics)

“Overlooked” is a show focusing on overlooked and underplayed music of all varieties: jazz, improvisational, international, and other fringe music, ancient to future, familiar to rare, classic to weird. Broadcast live from Overlook Mountain in Ulster County, “Overlooked” offers programs focused solely on newly released music along with others that focus on specific musical themes or history.

Host Rob Saffer is the former Executive Director and Producer of the Creative Music Foundation and Creative Music Studio. While living in Brooklyn for 25 years, he served on advisory boards for Celebrate Brooklyn! and Symphony Space. He also curated the Brooklyn Museum’s summer jazz series and helped found The Mingus Big Band with Mingus’s widow, Sue.