We recently connected with Lydia Winsor Brindamour and have shared our conversation below.

Lydia Winsor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I recently completed my PhD in music composition at the University of California San Diego. As part of my dissertation, I created an evening length intermedia work. The project took the form of a “concert-installation” which staged a live performance of a composition I had written for piano and five strings within an immersive visual environment. In my conception, I drew on both the legacy of the Western concert tradition and characteristics of installation art. This project was incredibly meaningful for me in multiple different ways.

First, I had never done a project of this type or scope before. It simultaneously felt like both the culmination of my musical education (12 years of higher education!) and something that was entirely new to me. That was really exciting but also pretty nerve-wracking. I am glad I took the risk though, as the process of creating and staging the work facilitated creative growth and I think led me to new possibilities artistically. I’m excited to see where these ideas take me in future works.

The project was also deeply meaningful to me because it was collaborative and I had the chance to work with some incredible artists, across disciplines, who I am also lucky enough to call friends. This included Elizabeth Barrett, who I collaborated with on the design of the visual environment, Stewart Blackwood, a spatial sound designer, as well as the inimitable musicians Kyle Adam Blair (piano), Charles Curtis (cello), Myra Hinrichs (violin), Matt Kline (double bass), Andrew McIntosh (violin) and Alex Taylor (viola), who realized a stunning interpretation of the music I had composed.For me, one of the most meaningful aspects of my creative practice is the friendships and collaborations that grow out of the process of creating, rehearsing and staging my works.

Finally, this project was especially meaningful to me because I wrote the music during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a time of deep isolation, and sometimes intense loneliness, for all of us. The pandemic brought the performing arts to a halt and I think everyone in the field faced immense uncertainty about how and when creating and performing together would be possible again. At times during the creation of this work it felt as though it would be impossible to ever bring something like this to life. It felt impossible that people would ever be able to experience, in-person, what I had dreamed up. Being able to finally share the project was incredible and I am, more than ever, grateful to be able to gather together to share an experience collectively.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a composer as well as a photographer, sound and intermedia artist. My work explores cross-sensory perception, embodiment and acoustic properties of sound. I am interested in immersive contexts for live performance, challenging conventions of proscenium performance spaces and providing alternative modes of engagement for the audience. Recently, I have also been thinking a lot about embodiment and disability in relation to sound.

I first began composing in high school, somewhat on a whim. I read an article in the newspaper about a female-identifying composer whose new orchestral work was going to be premiered in Boston, near where I grew up. At that time, I didn’t know anything about composition as a field and I was not familiar with any contemporary music or composers. I don’t think I even knew that people were still writing concert music! When I read the article I was really intrigued and it prompted me to begin composing myself. I had always enjoyed coming up with melodies and modifying the music that I performed but that was the first time I felt empowered to actually create my own piece. Long story short, once I began composing I absolutely loved it and I have been composing ever since! I was fortunate to encounter some incredible, really supportive, mentors along the way who have always encouraged me to pursue my vision. I would like to mention them, with immense gratitude for their guidance: John McDonald, Anthony Weller, Hans Tutschku, Chaya Czernowin, Trevor Baca and Rand Steiger.

Along the way, I became interested in photography and visual media and began to incorporate those into my work. My exploration of the role that visual material can play in my intermedia work is ongoing.

I would say that, artistically, I am driven by curiosity. I feel that creative possibilities are endless and my work is always growing, shifting and evolving. I am always discovering something new to me and that never ceases to excite me!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have struggled with health issues in my life, including a severe, life-threatening, injury 8 years ago. There were a number of times, when things were really difficult, that I felt like it would be impossible for me to pursue a path as an artist. But creating always brought me happiness and I had so many ideas that I wanted to share so I kept going, even when it was really challenging, because I had a fundamental need to create and share.

I share this only because I hope others who might be struggling in some way, but who have a dream to create, will be encouraged to continue. I think creativity is a really powerful force.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Simply, the goal of creating work for others to experience. I think of creating work as an act of sharing and I believe that art/music can be transformative.

I can’t imagine NOT creating. In and of itself, being an artist isn’t just a goal for me. It’s an approach to life. It’s an orientation to the world. It’s a way of being.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l__w__b/?hl=en
• Other: Additional instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lydia_winsor_brindamour/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/l-w-b-1

Image Credits
The picture of me: Anqi Liu All other pictures: Lydia Winsor Brindamour (me)