Behind the Curtain with Stephanie M. Neumann - Part 5

For Good Measure, by Ensemble for These Times (E4TT)
Episode 94: Behind the Curtain with Stephanie M. Neumann (part 5)

Looking for a way to listen to diverse creators and to support equity in the arts? Tune in weekly to For Good Measure!

In this week’s episode, we continue our conversation with E4TT Audio Visual Project Specialist and For Good Measure’s co-producer and audio engineer extraordinaire Stephanie M. Neumann, in our “Behind the Curtain” mini-series. If you enjoyed today’s conversation and want to know more about Stephanie M. Neumann, check her out here: www.stephaniemneumann.com.

This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors, like you. Want to support For Good Measure and E4TT? Make a tax-deductible donation or sign up for our newsletter, and subscribe to the podcast!

Intro music: “Trifolium” by Gabriela Ortiz, performed by E4TT (Ilana Blumberg, violin; Abigail Monroe, cello; Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Below the Surface: Music by Women Composers,” January 29, 2022
Outro music: “Lake Turkana” by Marcus Norris, performed by E4TT (Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Alchemy,” October 15, 2021

Transcription courtesy of Otter.ai.

Co-Producer, Host, and E4TT co-founder: Nanette McGuinness
Co-Producer and Audio Engineer: Stephanie M. Neumann
Podcast Cover Art: Brennan Stokes
With assistance from Hannah Chen, Sam Mason, Renata Volchinskaya

Transcript

Nanette McGuinness  00:00
[INTRO MUSIC] Welcome to For Good Measure, an interview series celebrating diverse composers and other creative artists, sponsored by a grant from the California Arts Council. I'm Nanette McGuinness, artistic executive director of Ensemble for These Times. Today we continue our interview with E4TT Audio Visual Project Specialist and For Good Measure co-producer and audio engineer extraordinaire, Stephanie M. Neumann [INTRO MUSIC ENDS]. We've kind of been talking about audio and gear and video, but in terms of music itself, who are your major influences? Do you have any mentors?

Stephanie M. Neumann  00:45
Well some of the people... I brought up a few already. But the one person that sparked my whole interest in playing saxophone and continuing was my fifth grade teacher, Katie Pennell. And she's still wondering, I think what I'm doing these days and would love for me to send her more things. But she was super positive, and I really thrived in that positive environment, and that, that supportive environment. And I just, I think that just like, ingrained in me that oh, I'm good at saxophone, I enjoy this and I'm gonna keep going. And she was very bubbly, very happy, and it was really a lovely presence to have throughout my grade school years. And the other, Seth Cluett, I can't thank you enough for heading me on this path of, you know, experimental music, because I never really knew what that was. Two years at Miami. What timing?

Nanette McGuinness  01:56
Yeah. Fate or synergy, however it fits your word, yeah.

Stephanie M. Neumann  01:59
Yeah, yeah, and he's friends or knew Zeena Parkins, who taught at Mills. And well, now I'm working with Gabriela Lena Frank, and I really love what she's doing for composers, her academy, giving opportunities to composers to work with performers, and recording audio and video and putting that all together for them and kind of being a part of that, meeting more people, meeting more performers and musicians. She's a huge inspiration. And Nanette McGuiness. Well, I'm so glad that I've gotten a lot of opportunities, as I talked about, and I think my video skills have grown because you've given me these opportunities to really like work on my craft, as that, and also compose because I've written music for E4TT as well, the HydroCosmic Echoes, so, giving me that opportunity and just being around other musicians too, was such a big influence for me as a composer, musician, and, definitely love being in the world of music.

Nanette McGuinness  03:07
What are you listening to? Or what do you like to listen to?

Stephanie M. Neumann  03:12
What do I like to listen to? That's a great question. I, I listen to so many different types of music. I think that I end up, depending on what I am feeling or doing at the moment, can definitely change that. I think I mentioned, which I actually haven't listened to her in a while, but like, Regina Spektor, which would be another music influence as a singer songwriter, because that really sparked that creativity. Her and Kate Nash are two indie pop singers that I was like, what are they doing? I haven't listened to them in a while, but now I kind of want to because I'm talking about it. You know, I did a lot of deep listening when I was at Mills College too, another thing that I will take from that experience. And now, I've been diving more into singing bowls.

Nanette McGuinness  04:14
Oh, yes. The Tibetan singing bowls, I know what you mean.

Stephanie M. Neumann  04:18
Yeah. And when I'm feeling anxious, I've been trying to put on that. So I've been listening to some of that type of music lately too, which really actually relates to everything else that I'm interested in as well. It's kind of funny because I, I play classical saxophone, but I never really liked listening to the classical saxophonists, I mean, I listened to my professors and other saxophonists, like live and everything and what they do, but I wasn't one of those people who wanted to listen to other people that did the same thing as me. For some reason I just kind of kept out of what I was doing, and I created the sound that I really love for myself as a saxophonist.

Nanette McGuinness  05:07
For those out there listening, can you circle back and talk about what you mean by deep listening? Not everybody might know what that means.

Stephanie M. Neumann  05:17
Just being more aware of the sound that you're listening to. And really just listening, tuning in, sometimes you're also producing sound, you know, with that, but I guess in my sense, I am meaning, which is what I do with the electro acoustic stuff too, but for me, I like to go on a walk, and do kind of a listening walk, sometimes, and just listen to all of the sounds that you're hearing. And you just take a second to hear there's a lot going on. And sometimes it can kind of get you out of your mind and all those thoughts that you're having, and just really center you, which is why I've been revisiting some of that, myself, and just trying to kind of, you know, relax, destress. You get all wrapped up with everything going on, and sometimes you just need a moment. And so just being in a sound is really relaxing to me.

Nanette McGuinness  06:22
Listening as a meditational practice.

Stephanie M. Neumann  06:26
Yeah, yeah, I think I'm really drawn to it, and so we'll see where I go with it.

Nanette McGuinness  06:32
It can be really powerful, it's true, because we tune out so much. We have to.

 Stephanie M. Neumann  06:39
Yeah.

Nanette McGuinness  06:40
Do you have any advice for younger or aspiring composers and musicians?

Stephanie M. Neumann  06:45
I think the advice that I wanted to give myself when I was a young musician is that it's okay to not be perfect. No one is perfect. And you hear that you're like, yeah, yeah, but...

Nanette McGuinness  07:01
But it's really true.

Stephanie M. Neumann  07:03
But it is true. And there are situations unfortunately, which I talked about, how the competitiveness and, there are some really intense directors and, and I see some negative influences in music that probably stunted my relationship that when that was happening, and so that's not all music is and it's not what it should be about. And then also just, there's so many different types of music. Just because you're not really interested in one, there might be something else you really like, or get interested in. And I know that I've seen kids who get, people who get frustrated, but maybe giving other options and music, like maybe the free improvisation to some younger kids who are just stuck and trying to be perfect, maybe that could be for them, too.

Nanette McGuinness  08:05
It really seems like, for you, improvisation acted as an antidote to the stifling effect of perfectionism on your creativity and success, and that when you had that in your tool chest, all of a sudden the worlds open up to you again.

Stephanie M. Neumann  08:23
Yeah. And now when I am playing classical music, I think I'm just less hard on myself for sure. I mean, yes, getting older helps with that, too.

Nanette McGuinness  08:34
So, what's next for you? Do you have performances planned for the coming year, compositions, future aspirations? We've talked about it a little bit.

Stephanie M. Neumann  08:42
Yeah. So I'll start with my group, which I kind of talked about, we have a performance set for May 22nd of 2024 in Santa Clara. So we'll be performing there. And then that weekend after we'll be in Berkeley, performing our show, and it's called Transit Futures. It's about different types of transportation, past, current, future. So we're just in the beginning of that, working with a visual artist, and he's putting together a video so it's, it'll be a big event, and all three of us in the trio will be writing and performing it.

Nanette McGuinness  09:27
That sounds very cool. Is that going to be down in the Bay Area?

 Stephanie M. Neumann  09:28
Yes, yes.

Nanette McGuinness  09:28
All right. Well, we'll have to keep an eye out for that. It sounds fascinating.

Stephanie M. Neumann  09:31
Yeah. And then I guess right now, and I talked about it a little bit, I'm trying to kind of build my repertoire, get back into a rehearsal schedule and figure out how to practice everything again with all of the instruments I have, and how do I, how do I meld my worlds and create a solo performance for myself, so I've been revisiting things that I used to write and trying to figure that out for myself. And I have a couple of ideas, personal projects that I want to realize, and so I'm sure they will be happening at some point soon. I wear a lot of hats, and...

Nanette McGuinness  10:20
You do, and you wear them very well.

Stephanie M. Neumann  10:23
I like them all. It's always hard to figure out what I should be doing. And also not, not running myself into the ground with too many, too many things. You know, making sure I'm staying healthy. Some more advice for others is you have to keep yourself healthy, you know, give yourself time to relax.

Nanette McGuinness  10:47
Yeah, think and sleep and eat. Well, thank you so much for doing this interview, Stephanie, this was wonderful talking to you about all the different aspects of your life.

Stephanie M. Neumann  10:56
Yeah, thanks for having me. It's been a pleasure.

Nanette McGuinness  10:59
[OUTRO MUSIC] Thank you for listening to For Good Measure, and a special thank you to our guest, Stephanie M. Neumann, for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast by clicking on the subscribe button, and support us by sharing it with your friends, posting about it on social media, and leaving us a rating and a review. To learn more about E4TT, our concert season online and in the Bay Area, or to make a tax deductible donation, please visit us at www.e4tt.org. This podcast is made possible in part by a grant from the California Arts Council and generous donors, like you. For Good Measure is produced by Nanette McGuinness and Ensemble for These Times and designed by Brennan Stokes, with special thanks to co-producer and audio engineer Stephanie M. Neumann. Remember to keep supporting equity in the arts and tune in next week "for good measure" [OUTRO MUSIC ENDS].