A Kansas City composer almost lost his finger while dog sledding, so he wrote music about it

By Sascha Groschang,

Published October 8, 2024 at 9:47 AM CDT

Composer and UMKC composition professor Yotam Haber fulfilled a lifelong dream of racing sled dogs in Alaska, but walked away with a severed finger and a creative spark. On this week's Sound Currents, hear music inspired by traumatic events.

This week's guest is composer and associate professor of composition at the UMKC Conservatory, Yotam Haber.

Scroll to the bottom to enjoy a bonus piece, Jeremy Beck's Elegy, and be sure to answer this week's "favorite piece" poll!

Hosts
Sascha Groschang
Laurel Parks

Guest
Yotam Haber

Program
Bloodsnow
by Yotam Haber
Talea Ensemble

Lost in the Blue
by Ellen Reid
Julian Wachner with the NOVUS NY, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Tim Parsons, Rebecca Jo Loeb, Anna Schubert

Odna Zhizn
by Christopher Rouse
Alan Gilbert with the New York Philharmonic

Swarm
by Steven Landis
UMKC Graduate Saxophone Quartet

Bonus piece

We've all had to adjust to a "new normal" since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and are finding way to process that enduring trauma. Jeremy Beck's 'Elegy' explores the complex feelings and experiences of the past few years.