photo by peter peregrine
Monday, June 7
7pm CT
Streaming on YouTube
FREE, $10 suggested donation
Option Talks Music: Erik Friedlander
Meet the versatile and highly prolific cellist and composer Erik Friedlander who will discuss a rich and varied career including decades of work connected to New York’s downtown music scene, multiple scores composed for film and television as well as a wide recorded discography with artists including John Zorn, Ikue Mori and Courtney Love.
Tune in on Monday, June 7th, at 7pm Chicago time to hear the discussion, ask questions in the chat, and listen to a selection of Erik’s performative work from his home base in NYC.
The Option series is presented as part of Experimental Sound Studio’s virtual concerts every Monday. Link to this program, with the interview led by Tim Daisy, below.
About Erik Friedlander
Cellist Erik Friedlander is a prolific solo artist, bandleader and film composer. Having been a sought after studio musician and improviser in New York’s downtown music scene for years, Friedlander has recently become well known for his work scoring film and television. He most recently scored the short film Mors Dag in 2019. In the fall of 2018, he scored an episode of Matthew Weiner’s (Mad Men) new show The Romanoffs. In 2017, Friedlander composed the score for Thoroughbreds, a feature film directed by Cory Finley, which garnered great critical acclaim. Also in 2017, he scored the film Oh Lucy!, directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival this summer.
Erik is currently preparing the release of his new record Sentinel, which was recorded in the fall of 2019 with Ava Mendoza (guitar), and Diego Espinoza (drums). In 2018, Erik released Artemisia, with his quartet The Throw. The record distills the brain-bending powers of absinthe, and showcases the immediate chemistry of this new band. Artemisia was Friedlander’s 22nd record under his own name. Other recent releases include 2016’s Rings, featuring Black Phebe, Erik's three-trios-in-one band; and 2015’s Oscalypso, a grooving tribute to bassist and sometimes cellist Oscar Pettiford. Erik has also composed music for ads, dance, and documentaries including the score for 2013’s Nothing on Earth, about the work of landscape photographer Murray Fredericks and his dangerous visits to the Greenland icecap. Erik also scored the feature film Future Weather, which saw release in 2013. Since the start of 2018, Friedlander has been releasing an original track for free each month.
Friedlander started studying music at an early age, beginning at five with guitar, before commencing cello lessons at eight. He grew up in a house filled with music, as his father, an avid music lover, made countless mixtapes which played daily in their home. He has performed and recorded with artists as diverse as The Mountain Goats, John Zorn, Dave Douglas and Courtney Love. Erik's desire to actively participate in the swirl of musical styles he was surrounded by led him to find new ways of playing the cello. This discovery drives his solo work, and work as a composer, which is varied and unusual.