If you read my New Years Resolution post, you know that one of my goals for the year is to dive into the seemingly forgotten musical world of the former GDR. Already, I have gone way beyond my professional comfort zone with this project. I have reached out to so many sources, some of whom I have never met, some who have been dear friends for years, and one who will be my musical boss, probably for the rest of my life (oh hey Andreas!)

I became absolutely fixated on this project last April when I was back in Leipzig for the first time in 10 years to perform with my old band A Whisper in the Noise. I used to tour in Europe frequently, but I never had the time to explore very much because we moved from show to show arriving a few hours before the performance, and leaving early the next day. This time was different. Jeff and I made the decision to explore Leipzig, Potsdam, and of course, Berlin. I knew about East Germany. I knew WHERE it was, I knew about the wall, and I knew the basic outsiders cheat sheet about the region. Through touring and playing music, I know some incredibly talented musical friends from the area. But actually, when I thought about it, I really didn't know anything about that corner of Europe after World War II. What really happened? What was life really like? I started staring at maps and thinking about the wealth of music that poured out of that place. Bach, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara and Robert Schumann, Mahler, and Wagner, to name just a few, all spent time there. I realized that when the war ended, and the wall went up, I knew virtually nothing about the cultural and musical landscape of the GDR. Nothing. It was like radio silence to the US, at least as far as I can tell.

When I came home from our travels, I started casually googling things with the hopes of turning up a bunch of scores, recordings, names, performers, etc. I assumed that I would receive an at-home history class full of youtube videos, current yet unknown to me recordings, and easily accessible scores. What quickly became apparent was that composers and performers existed (and some still exist), but their music has fallen through some weird cracks in the musical universe. I found names, even a Wikipedia page dedicated to the topic. Still, when I looked for scores, I could find very few available for rent, purchase, or free download. This seems weird and wrong, right? Where did these people and their music go? Either I am the worst millennial in the world who can't do an internet search to save her life (which is possible), or somehow they have been forgotten. Welcome to the beginning of my obsession. If I could do another Doctorate, this would make for an incredible project. But alas, I guess I'll just devote all of my free time to it instead.

A guitar case sticker from the EOM20 festival last April in Leipzig.

In the late Autumn of 2019, I attended the Medea Insurrection exhibit at the Wende Museum in Los Angeles, I asked the Chief Curator what he thought about my idea. He gave me his card and told me to contact him immediately. We sat down for a meeting the following week, and he gave me several resources to contact, avenues to pursue, and ideas to follow up on. Since then, I have been chipping away at this project. I have contacted libraries in Germany, reached out to curators in Los Angeles, emailed cultural and research institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. I have slowly compiled a list of people AND found scores, although not necessarily the same. I am just a few steps into a deep rabbit hole of not new music.

My musical project is to uncover, perform, and record as much violin repertoire and string chamber music written by composers from the GDR as I can. So far, my research has brought up musicians from all over the musical and political spectrum. Over the next few months (or weeks, or maybe even days depending on the coronavirus situation), I will be sharing some of my findings here, so stay tuned.

Regarding this project, I am always looking for help with the following:

composers that fit the above criteria,
libraries with resources that you can help me access,
friends who own weird old music collections that could maybe help, and you could put me in touch with
google wizards and wizardry
financial assistance (know of any grants, residencies, scholarships, etc.?)
Musicologists who are experts on the topic
Musicians interested in collaborating/helping
German friends (or friends of friends) who could help with a little translating, on the ground leg work, resource finding, etc.
anything else that comes to mind

I would greatly appreciate any and all help. This is truly a musical "community building" endeavor. Just the sort of thing that I absolutely adore but is so much more rewarding when everyone gets involved.

The Violin Music of East Germany, Part I

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