Get to know New York pianist and composer Kelly Moran. The classically-trained artist sits down with Olivia Horn for Pitchfork’s Rising series.
“Moran’s musical life is hard to square, and she seems to pride herself on being a bit of a wildcard, as classical musicians go. As an undergrad at the University of Michigan, she badgered old-school faculty to teach her contemporary piano repertoire, eventually resorting to taking lessons from a technology professor with whom she studied the work of John Cage and Philip Glass for no credit. Ultraviolet is linked to that precedent of reaction and departure. The album was born out of a single, revelatory day last summer when Moran surrendered the studious composition technique that had shaped her previous recordings. Instead, she improvised, experimented, and prioritized the feeling of playing over technical rigor. Song titles include “Water Music” and “Nereid,” and the aqueous motif fits both the fluidity of her newfound style and the immersiveness of the listening experience.
On Ultraviolet, Moran plays prepared piano—a technique that involves placing objects like screws or bolts between the strings of the piano, so that the notes take on a percussive edge. To make the record, Moran edited down the hours worth of improvisations she churned out on the day of her breakthrough, then built them out with layers of synth. The resulting passages sound familiar but foreign—the well-known timbre of the piano made strange by its preparation; bright, earthy melodies partially obfuscated by dense, electronic fog.”
Listen to ‘In Parallel’ from Ultravioletbelow and learn more about her Rewire 2019 performance atKelly Moran.
Rewire 2019 Festival Passes are now available for the reduced price of €75 atTickets.