Tetractys Presents - Here Be Monsters
Join us on May 27th, 2023, from 5:00 - 10:00 p.m., for Here Be Monsters, hosted by Tetractys New Music!
Here Be Monsters is a five-hour show of Austin's indie-classical music scene, designed to reveal and celebrate the unique culture and identity of Austin's music creators taking place at the Butterfly Bar, 2307 Manor Rd.
15 performances including 11 world premieres by Austin composers featuring: Invoke, Montopolis, Kraken Quartet, Density512, Golden Hornet, LOLA, One Ounce Opera, Convergence, Goliath Was Bigfoot, Tom Echols, Less Than <10 Music, Nathan Felix, VAMP, Studio A, and Tetractys New Music
A portion of HERE BE MONSTERS is taking place outside and is a rain-or-shine event. No refunds for inclement weather.
For this upcoming mega-collab, LOLA has co-commissioned a new work by Keith Allegretti and Amy Herman titled, Undine Speaks. The piece is an allegory of Art in the modern world that explores the relationship humans have with art from the point of view of Art Personified.
Keith Allegretti
A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Keith Allegretti (b. 1989) is a composer and pianist who enjoys working comfortably in many genres, including chamber, orchestral, opera, and electronic music. Recognitions include Really Spicy Opera’s Quarantine Opera Scenes Initiative, Latitude 49's Bagatelle's project, second place in the American Prize in Composition, and finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. His opera Good Country, a chamber Western based on a libretto by Cecelia Raker, received its workshop performance at the University of Texas thanks to a grant from UT's College of Fine Arts Diversity Committee. It has since been produced in Austin by Local Opera Local Artists (LOLA) and Portland State University.
An active performer and teacher, Keith enjoys playing piano in any sized ensemble. He currently serves as Adjunct Faculty in Music at Austin Community College, in addition to maintaining a private studio of piano and composition students in the Austin area through Timbral Music Studios. While most of his time is devoted to musical pursuits, Keith is also a painter, bicyclist, and chess player.
Amy Herman
Amy Herman graduated from Middlebury College in 2018 with a Masters in German Studies. Herman now lives and works in Austin, teaching piano at the Armstrong Community Music School.
Nyle Matsuoka
Austin-based pianist Nyle Matsuoka enjoys a rigorous career as a performer, collaborator, and vocal coach. Having found his niche in opera, he held the position of Principal Coach and Pianist with Austin Opera from 2014 to 2020. During times of COVID, Nyle remained active with the company, recording numerous digital recitals both as a soloist and collaborator. In the spring of 2021, he acted as principal coach and pianist for Austin Opera’s outdoor production of Tosca, which found him performing opening night on an electric keyboard after the orchestra had to bow out due to a rainstorm.
In addition to his work with Austin Opera, Nyle has served as music staff for productions with The Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Birmingham, and Wichita Grand Opera. He regularly is a guest coach at the Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas, as well as having been a guest coach/clinician at Wichita State University, Idaho State University, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and the College of Southern Idaho. He did his young artist work at Wolf Trap Opera and Arizona Opera. As a soloist, Nyle was recently featured on the College of Southern Idaho’s piano celebration series and was a guest soloist with the Magic Valley Symphony. Upcoming engagements include serving as staff pianist/coach for Opera Neo’s summer season in San Diego.
Icy Monroe
Icy Monroe has been hailed as a passionate singer whose love for music flows through everyone that hears her. Ms. Monroe’s grace and talent have been conveyed through many roles including Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Despina in Così fan Tutte, and Catherine in A View from the Bridge. By 2011, Ms. Monroe had won multiple awards, including winning the State and Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing Competitions (NATs), District Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and the People’s Choice Award in the Dallas Opera Guild Competition, among numerous other awards. In January 2009, Icy was invited to participate in a Master class with Maestro James Levine via the Marilyn Horne Foundation and made her professional solo debut with the Marshall Symphony Orchestra in January 2011.
Since then, Icy has appeared as a solo artist with the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Shreveport Summer Music Festival, the Colour of Music Festival in South Carolina, and the Alleluia Conference at Baylor University. She recently made her debut as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in February 2020. In 2022 alone, she made her return as a soprano soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, three concerts celebrating Juneteenth in Arizona, and a double recital/workshop in Colorado Springs.
Fully funded by the University of Texas-Austin, her double-billed cd titled "I, too" was distributed through the largest classical music label, Naxos. Icy is also featured in the award-winning documentary When I Rise, the story of Barbara Smith Conrad.
With two previous degrees behind her (BM-Vocal Performance 2007 and MM-Opera 2009), Mrs. Monroe had the privilege of being one of the first to graduate with an Artist Diploma (2011) from the University of Texas-Austin, thus adding a third degree/post-master diploma to her name. Icy continues to perform extensively and has expanded her work to include her business, The Voice Clinic, specializing in voice rehabilitation/ preventative techniques. Her site is www.thevoiceclinicaustin.com.
Austin Siebert
Praised for his vibrant coloratura, warmth of tone, and versatility; Austin Siebert brings a kinetic energy to both operatic stages and concert halls. Baritone-Austin Siebert recently completed his tenure as the Spotlight Artist for Austin Opera. While performing as Austin Opera’s resident young artist, he covered Lt. Audebert in Kevin Puts’ Silent Night and Marcello in La Bohéme. In addition to these covers, he sang the roles of Araldo in Otello, Customs House Officer in La Bohéme, and German Solider 1 in Silent Night. Siebert was featured as the Bass soloist for Haydn’s Stabat Mater with Chorus Austin and Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Messiah.
Other performances include Mr. Gobineau (The Medium) and Marco (Gianni Schicchi) with Merola Opera Program, Belcore with Dallas Opera Outreach’s version of L’elisir d’amore, and Mustafá in Seagle Music Colony’s L’Italiana in Algeri. While at the University of North Texas, Siebert performed the title role in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and played the villains in Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Siebert holds a Masters in Music from the University of North Texas and a B.A. in Music from Northwestern University.
Jordan Walsh
Jordan Walsh is a percussionist, audio engineer, and educator based in Austin, Texas. A proponent of electronics and theater in music, he strives to perform the most absurd music with the most genuine fervor. Jordan frequently commissions and performs new works in both chamber and solo settings, including recent collaborations with composers including Elainie Lillios, Akshaya Avril Tucker, Kitty Xiao, and José Martinez. Frequently engaged as a solo performer, Jordan has appeared as a guest at the SEAMUS conference, the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and has performed as part of residencies institutions including Purdue University and Colby College. He is a founding member of Less Than 10 Music, principal percussionist/personnel manager for the Density512 new music collective, and a founding member of the Up/Down percussion quartet. Jordan’s work as an electroacoustic composer and performer led him to form the Electronic Integration Project, a dual commissioning and pedagogical effort intended to teach electroacoustic performance practice to performers. Jordan holds both a Doctorate and Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University. He has studied with percussionists including Thomas Burritt, Tony Edwards, Paul Vaillancourt, Ryan Smith, and Erik Forst. Jordan proudly endorses Pearl/Adams Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Black Swamp Percussion, and Artifact Percussion. When he is not engaged with contemporary classical music, Jordan can be found playing drums with singer-songwriter James Tabata and prepared guitar with Austin’s experimental folk band Middle Sattre.
In addition to his performance career, Jordan maintains an active teaching schedule. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Applied Percussion at Southwestern University and as Adjunct Associate Professor of Percussion & Audio Technology at Austin Community College and maintains a small studio of private students in both percussion and audio technology. Jordan has appeared as a guest lecturer at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, and the Schwob Summer Music Festival, and frequently works with the students of Austin Soundwaves as a guest speaker. Most recently, Jordan was engaged by the Austin Civic Orchestra to oversee the 2023 Pearl Amster Scholarship Ensemble.
Jordan is also an active audio engineer and producer, working independently as well as for the University of Texas at Austin. Recent production credits include Ciyadh Wells’ Unrelenting, Density 512’s Akousmatika, Colin McCall’s Bloom, James Markey’s Psychedelia, and Peter Steiner’s United. Beyond traditional audio work, Jordan is proficient in both the Max/MSP and SuperCollider audio processing languages and is a composer and advocate of electroacoustic music. He has acted as technical director for the Southeastern Composer’s Symposium, worked live audio for artists ranging from Gina Chavez to Carly Pearce, done synthesis/audio design for artists including the Dallas Winds and John Psathas, and spent two seasons as the voice of classical music radio show “Classical Overnight”, which airs on WCUG 88.5 FM in Columbus, Georgia. His audio mentors have included Russell Pinkston and Matthew McCabe.