EARLINE magazine

EARLINE magazine (NL)

The latest edition of Earline Magazine addresses the prevalence of hearing issues among professional musicians, often due to frequent exposure to excessively loud conditions. Earline hosted a panel discussion with Director of the NVAB Carmen De Jonge, rapper and composer Rosario Mussendijk (sor), oboist Marc Stotijn, clinical physicist & audiologist Jan de Laat, and bassoonist Jos de Lange. Violinist Monica Germino reacts to the discussion. 

'The answer was found in the whisperviolin’
In her reaction to the panel discussion hosted by Earline with the NVAB, violinist Monica Germino discusses her struggle with hyperacusis, how to reduce the number of decibels under her ears, and how the whisperviolin provided a lifeline during a tumultuous time. 

Taboo
This article is part of a larger conversation about breaking down the taboo around hearing issues among musicians. Germino is spearheading an effort to shine a light on this often-whispered topic among musicians, looking at how musicians can adapt themselves and/or their surroundings to protect their fragile hearing.
 
Germino: “Ever since I first started to talk publicly about my hearing and working out how to deal with the new situation, I’ve been getting messages from musicians reaching out. Often very moving, many sadly familiar, and all requesting confidentiality. Which of course I honor, but the fact that hearing is still a taboo topic among musicians in 2022 is something very long overdue for a change. And then there is the music industry itself — I see many chances to develop initiatives where musicians could continue to perform without jeopardizing their hearing."
 
 

Film: Geluiden van lucht

The 13-minute film 'Geluiden van lucht' [Sounds of air] was premiered on 18 June 2022, during the first edition of Dag van de Componist [Day of the Composer] 
Livestream and coverage by NPO Radio4, with NTR broadcasting live from TivoliVredenburg
Utrecht was the epicenter of this event, which included more than 100 new music events throughout the Netherlands. 
 
Composition: Vanessa Lann - Text: Cees Nooteboom - Concept, direction: Neil Wallace
Performers: Florien de la Fosse, soprano - Pete Harden, electric guitar - Saskia Lankhoorn, electric piano - Monica Germino, whisperviolin
Dutch Composers Now / Nieuw Geneco
 
The whisperviolin [pictured below] plays an intimate role in the film, reflecting Cees Nooteboom's text on departure, love, on loss "...in the emptiness. hearing from afar still their voices, sounds of air."

image to left: still from the film Geluiden van lucht

the whisperviolin & If It’s Hip, It’s Here

Plans are afoot for the whisperviolin. During these difficult, fragile times for the arts, this spectacular instrument is finding its way, embarking on new collaborations and creations. Check out If It’s Hip, It’s Here's* article, featuring primarily Marcel Wanders' work on the instrument and a bit of its origin story.

Luthier Bas Maas and designer Marcel Wanders created an entirely new, ingenious, lower-decibel instrument, inspired by and loosely modeled on the 17th-century pochette violin and built to explore the world of quieter sounds. 

*If It’s Hip, It’s Here began in 2007. IIHIH prides itself as a resource for providing information and introducing emerging and established artists, creators, and designers.

The Silence in Between

Monica Germino & Guy Livingston
The Silence in Between, a lecture-performance featuring two premières, text by archy, and a sneak preview film featuring the whisperviolin
This program is part of Almost Silence, a mini-festival of music and silence in The Hague, curated by Guy Livingston
venue: precise location TBA (The Hague)
Date pending: June 2021
 
it is better to be a part of beauty
for one instant and then cease to
exist than to exist forever
and never be a part of beauty
 
-the lesson of the moth, from archy and mehitabel by Don Marquis 
 

MUTED in the movies - a documentary

Filmmaker Bas Andriessen followed Monica and MUTED from start to...? This is far from a finished story... the film ends with the completion of the whisperviolin and the culmination of a year's touring with MUTED. Bas is currently in the throes of editing hours (days) of footage to make MUTED ready for the silver screen. Watch this space! 

photos: the whisperviolin coming to life. Luthier Bas Maas and designer Marcel Wanders created an entirely new, ingenious, lower-decibel instrument, inspired by and loosely modeled on the 17th-century pochette violin and created to explore the world of quieter sounds.

           

The Silence Inbetween

The Silence Inbetween by The Lyric Feature, the Irish broadcaster RTÉ lyric fm's weekly documentary slot.

Pianist and radio host Guy Livingston takes us on a journey from the pauses of medieval chant, through silences in Monteverdi, Mahler, Pärt, and beyond. He meets Monica Germino, a violinist who pioneered the “whisperviolin” after her hearing demanded serious protection; Romain Charles, an astronaut who spent 520 days in isolation on a simulated mission to Mars; Luis Rolo, an antenna engineer from the European Space Agency; and Sean Street, author of a book on silence. Jane Clarke’s poem “The Pianist” concludes this feature.

Presenter : Guy Livingston
Producer for lyric fm: Olga Buckley
Premiered: 19 April 2020

Listen on Soundcloud

photo Anne Reinke

my companions these days...

from left to right: mr. blue (with tapping glove), a ca. 1970 frame violin, a J. B. Ceruti violin (1802), a ca. 1870 frame violin

lurking in the background: framed vintage mutes. Special thanks to Stam Vioolbouw of Utrecht

& the ingenious whisperviolin, with adjustable decibel levels

Wonderfeel festival

Sunday 21 July, 21:30 - 22:15 

Ongehoord, curated by Masa Spaan
Tickets 
Monica Germino – violin, voice
MUTED is a collective work by 4 composersMichael GordonJulia Wolfe, David Lang, Louis Andriessen
for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort & Isabel Nielen / Theatermachine
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
Creators, whisperviolin: Bas Maas Marcel Wanders

"The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. [Michael] Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again..." The Wall Street Journal
 
MUTED was co-commissioned by De Doelen Rotterdam (executive producer), Music on Main Vancouver, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the Oranjewoud Festival
 
MUTED is a quest for the outer limits of the audible. After being diagnosed with hyperacusis (extreme sensitivity to sound) Monica had to abandon her usual performances. The American composers’ collective Bang on a Can and Louis Andriessen joined forces to create a piece that allows her to explore the outer limits of the audible, the universe of expression and tonal subtlety that hides in extreme quietness. In addition to her Ceruti violin on loan from the Else Mathilde Foundation, she will play a rare ‘frame violin’ (without resonance chamber) and a ‘whisperviolin’, specially designed for her by designer Marcel Wanders and luthier Bas Maas.
 
MUTED in the press
photo Jan Gates

Interview in Luister

Journalist Thea Derks interviews Monica Germino for the May-June 2019 edition of Luister - Magazine over klassieke muziek [Listen - Magazine for classical music]. An in-depth conversation about a wide range of topics such as MUTED, Louis Andriessen, Yale School of Music, Marcel Wanders, Bas Maas, whisperviolin, Neil Wallace, de Doelen, Bang on a Can, Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, David Dramm, Calliope Tsoupaki, Ron Ford, Café De Jaren, Vera Beths, Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Rosita Wouda, Schönberg ensemble, J.S. Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Cristina Zavalloni, and how Germino will miss playing certain 'too-loud-for-her' cherished pieces.

READ MORE: Luister interview with Monica Germino

MUTED A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design

Saturday 25 May, Amsterdam, 15.00 & 17.00
venue: Kleine zaal, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Andriessen Festival, Amsterdam
15.00 tickets here (sold out)
17.00 tickets here (only a few tickets left as of this posting)
Waiting list tickets available
Duration: ca. 45 minutes, no break. 
 
 
Composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort & Isabel Nielen, Theatermachine
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
MUTED was co-commissioned by De Doelen Rotterdam (executive producer), Music on Main Vancouver, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the Oranjewoud Festival
with the support of Dutch Performing Arts
 
photo: Jan Gates
 
What’s in a decibel? - read the backstory about MUTED 

PODCAST about MUTED

MUTED in The Hague - Rotterdam - Amsterdam

photo: Jan Gates

MUTED A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design

Friday 17 May, 20.00
venue: Korzo Theater, The Hague       

Saturday 18 May, 16.00 
venue: AVL Mundo, Rotterdam; produced by Neil Wallace & de Doelen. ROAM - Rotterdam Art Music Festival, Classical Next 2019
tickets here
 
Saturday 25 May, Amsterdam, 15.00 & 17.00
venue: Kleine zaal, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Andriessen Festival, Amsterdam
15.00 tickets here 
 
Composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
 
MUTED was co-commissioned by De Doelen Rotterdam (executive producer), Music on Main Vancouver, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the Oranjewoud Festival
with the support of Dutch Performing Arts
 
What’s in a decibel? - read the backstory about MUTED 

MUTED receives rave reviews
"...'Muted' may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance." The New York Times 
—Anthony Tommasini, CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK, Oct. 9, 2018

Diagnosis sends violin star Monica Germino in search of softer sounds at PuSh fest
The Georgia Straight (Vancouver CA)

Top of the list: MUTED took first place in The New York Times 
6 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend

More from The New York Times:
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.CreditHiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
Credit Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times

"...the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Louis Andriessen. Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind. 'Muted' was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves ..." READ MORE


The Wall Street Journal - Philharmonic Dials Down Music to a ‘Whisper’ 
—Charles Passy. Oct. 6, 2018
A violinist with a sensitivity to sound will perform ‘Muted,’ a special, quieter piece for audiences in Brooklyn
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. 
Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal

A caveat: the audio in the video segment is louder than in performance
"The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. [Michael] Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again..." READ MORE

'Diagnosis sends violin star Monica Germino in search of softer sounds at PuSh fest'

Challenged by the onset of an ear condition that creates extreme sensitivity to sound, violinist Monica Germino has discovered that playing at very low volume has opened up expressive possibilities. photo ©Anne Reinke
 

Monica Germino was once, by her own admission, “probably one of the loudest violinists” in classical music, known for her huge tone, but also for playing fire-breathing electric violin. Now she’s likely the quietest musician in the field, and for good reason. Germino was recently diagnosed with hyperacusis, or extreme sensitivity to sound, and advised that if she continued to perform she ran the risk of irreparably damaging her ears.

On the line from her Amsterdam home, the violinist reports that the first physician she consulted told her to stop playing entirely. “And all the rest said, ‘No, no… Keep playing, but just use a lot of ear protection,’” she says with an audible shudder. “And I just couldn’t do that; that wasn’t going to work.…The idea of wearing ear protectors was like sensory deprivation.”

Then, as she says, “the composers saved me.” Having resigned herself to the idea of abandoning her performing career, Germino was in the process of bowing out of prior commitments when her frequent collaborator Michael Gordon, of the Bang On a Can composers’ collective, offered an alternative.

“I said, ‘So this is what’s going on,’ and he didn’t really want to talk about our other project at all,” she recalls. “He said, ‘Okay, I’m going to write you a really soft piece. I don’t care if anyone can hear it; I’m going to write it, and I want to be the first.’

“I just said, ‘I don’t know, Michael.’ But my mind kept circling around that idea, and I went and started looking at mutes, and got lost in this fantastic world of crazy mute-makers who are working in all sorts of innovative ways to change the colour of the instrument but also cut the volume down.”

Much to her surprise, she discovered that playing at extremely low volume opened up expressive possibilities and tonal options she’d previously overlooked. Equally surprising was that Gordon’s Bang On a Can colleagues Julia Wolfe and David Lang wanted to contribute, and soon their mentor, the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, was onboard, too. The result is MUTED, a suite of low-volume works that Germino will bring to Music on Main next week, playing on a variety of quiet instruments—muted violin, frame violin, and a new “whisperviolin” made especially for her—in an intimate space.

She’ll also sing while she plays—and one of the texts that Andriessen has set for her might just offer a few clues to her character. It’s taken from American humorist Don Marquis’s Archy and Mehitabel stories, based on the friendship between a poetic cockroach and a cat.

“I remember saying to Louis that I relate to Mehitabel, because she’s got such a desperate life,” Germino says, laughing. “She’s actually an alley cat, but the whole time she’s pretending she’s this reincarnation of Cleopatra, and she’s had all these past lives of glamorous characters.…And in the meantime she’s homeless, and she’s falling in love with all these horrible cats who betray her all the time. But I like the way she can put on this amazing act, like ‘Life is fabulous, Archy. I may be old and dancing on three feet, but I’m a grand old dame.’

“I like that combination of desperation and faking and… perseverance,” she continues. “I hope I can be that—maybe not so much the faking part, but forging ahead no matter what. I really did not think I was going to forge ahead the way I am right now, but I’m just so curious about what’s going to happen next and where this is going to go.”

Monica Germino and Music on Main present MUTED at the Orpheum Annex from Monday to Wednesday (January 28 to 30), as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.

PDF: Georgia Straight.com-Diagnosis sends violin star Monica Germino in search of softer sounds at PuSh fest

PUSH FESTIVAL

Canadian premiere of MUTED at Music on Main

MUTED A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design

28 January 2019, 20.00 (Canadian premiere)
29 & 30 January 2019, 19.00 & 21.00 
venue: ANNEX; Vancouver, Canada 
Composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
 
Artistic Director of Music on Main David Pay talks to Monica Germino:
(watch on youtube here)
 
What’s in a decibel? - read the backstory about MUTED 

MUTED receives rave reviews
"...'Muted' may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance." The New York Times 
—Anthony Tommasini, CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK, Oct. 9, 2018

Top of the list: MUTED took first place in The New York Times 
6 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend

More from The New York Times:
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.CreditHiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
Credit Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times

"...the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Louis Andriessen. Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind. 'Muted' was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves ..." READ MORE


The Wall Street Journal - Philharmonic Dials Down Music to a ‘Whisper’ 
—Charles Passy. Oct. 6, 2018
A violinist with a sensitivity to sound will perform ‘Muted,’ a special, quieter piece for audiences in Brooklyn
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. 
Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal

A caveat: the audio in the video segment is louder than in performance
"The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. [Michael] Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again..." READ MORE

UK premiere of MUTED at hcmf//

23 November at hcmf// (2 performances)
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
info: performance at 14.00 
info: performance at 16.00
venue: Huddersfield Town Hall; Huddersfield, UK
 
MUTED is a collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Associate Light Designer: Isabel Nielen 
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis

Newsflash: US PREMIERE of MUTED received rave reviews
"...'Muted' may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance." The New York Times 
—Anthony Tommasini, CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK, Oct. 9, 2018

Top of the list: MUTED took first place in The New York Times 
6 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend

More from The New York Times:
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.CreditHiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
Credit Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times

"...the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Louis Andriessen. Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind. 'Muted' was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves ..." READ MORE


The Wall Street Journal - Philharmonic Dials Down Music to a ‘Whisper’ 
—Charles Passy. Oct. 6, 2018
A violinist with a sensitivity to sound will perform ‘Muted,’ a special, quieter piece for audiences in Brooklyn
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. 
Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal

A caveat: the audio in the video segment is louder than in performance
"The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. [Michael] Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again..." READ MORE


Broadwayworld.com announcements here and here
New York Philharmonic press release

newsletter: MUTED at November Music & Huddersfield! & News from NY

photo: Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. Credit: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal

Monica's latest newsletter about MUTED & more: read more here

MUTED at NOVEMBER MUSIC

3 November at November Music (2 performances)
venue: Muzerije - Pleitzaal; 's-Hertogenbosch, NL
 
Tickets for 12.30
Tickets for 15.30
 
Tickets (all day event from 11.30- 18.00, diverse locations) 
2 performances of MUTED at 12.30 and 15.30
venue: Muzerije - Pleitzaal; 's-Hertogenbosch, NL
 
MUTED is a collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
 
MUTED in the press after US premiere in New York 
The New York Times - Anthony Tommasini - CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK, Oct. 9, 2018
 
"...'Muted' may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance."

"...the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Louis Andriessen. Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind. 'Muted' was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves ..." READ MORE 

photo Monica Germino © Lucas Kemper

MUTED in the news

The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini

CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK

Oct. 9, 2018

 
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Credit Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times

"On Monday night, the Andriessen celebration continued at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, where the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Louis Andriessen.

Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind.

“Muted” was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves very soft sounds played on an array of violins, from traditional to experimental, and used various standard mutes (brass pieces fitted on the bridge of the instrument to muffle sound). During parts of ”Muted,” Ms. Germino also sang or spoke fanciful texts by Don Marquis and moved around a central, light-projecting circular tower of aluminum rings (designed by Floriaan Ganzevoort).

While wistful, the music shifts through moods and styles that alternately suggest tender folk songs, gently swaying dances, bursts of hushed busyness, bluesy melodies, even twangy hints of hoedown. “Muted” may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance."

More MUTED in the press
 

MUTED in the press: The Wall Street Journal

Philharmonic Dials Down Music to a ‘Whisper’

A violinist with a sensitivity to sound will perform ‘Muted,’ a special, quieter piece for audiences in Brooklyn

click for WSJ video excerpt

By Charles Passy. Oct. 6, 2018

In her decadeslong career, the violinist and contemporary-music specialist Monica Germino has worked alongside major composers, co-founded an international ensemble and performed at venues world-wide.

But in recent years, her life has been derailed by a disorder that connects in the most direct way to her profession: Ms. Germino has hyperacusis, a sensitivity to sound.
The violinist’s solution? She is going the quiet route, performing music specifically written for her with the auditory condition in mind, and asking audiences to join her on the journey.
On Monday and Tuesday, Ms. Germino, who is based in Amsterdam, will offer the U.S. premiere of “Muted,” a piece co-commissioned by the New York Philharmonic with four other musical organizations, at National Sawdust, the Brooklyn venue that specializes in innovative work.
“It’s borne out of necessity,” said Ms. Germino of the piece. But at the same time, “something incredible can happen” musically from such circumstances, she said.
The connection to the Philharmonic stems from the fact that it is currently honoring the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, who is a fellow countryman of Jaap van Zweden, the orchestra’s newly installed music director. Mr. Andriessen, who is married to Ms. Germino, is one of four composers who contributed to “Muted.”
But it is another contributing composer, New York-based Michael Gordon, who came up with the idea for the work. When he learned in 2016 that Ms. Germino had stopped performing altogether because of her disorder, “I said, ‘You can play quiet music. We’ll write you the quietest piece ever written,’” Mr. Gordon recalled.
Ms. Germino helped the process along by using special violins that are designed to play at a softer level or adapting a traditional violin with the use of mutes – essentially, a device that causes the strings to vibrate less. She has also had a new instrument, dubbed a whisperviolin, made for her.
The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. Mr. Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again.
While Ms. Germino may have found a way to adapt to her situation, she is far from the only musician to contend with hyperacusis, which is often associated with exposure to loud sound. Indeed, musicians are “fundamentally at higher risk” for the condition, said Bryan Pollard, founder and president of Hyperacusis Research, a U.S. nonprofit organization.
At its most extreme, the condition can cause those who suffer from it to experience pain when they hear noise or certain sounds, say experts. Ms. Germino said in her case, she is just “very sensitive” to loudness.
But she had been advised by auditory professionals to quit playing or wear earplugs, lest she risk damaging her hearing. Neither of those options proved suitable, so that led to her current solution.
Regardless of her condition, Ms. Germino thinks there may be a broader benefit to turning down the volume and seeing the value in the quiet.
“We are so swamped with sound and overstimulated,” she said.

MUTED in New York

US premiere of MUTED at National Sawdust
A New York Philharmonic Co-Commission with Rotterdam’s De Doelen, Oranjewoud Festival, Vancouver’s Music on Main, and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
Co-Presented with NATIONAL SAWDUST
 
8 October at 7 PM tickets
8 October at 9 PM tickets
9 October at 7 PM tickets
9 October at 9 PM tickets
 
venue:  National Sawdust; Brooklyn, NY
NY Philharmonic press release & information about all performances 
 
MUTED A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design
Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis
 
What’s in a decibel? - read the backstory about MUTED 

 

pictured here: the frame violin, also known as a mute violin, ca. 1870. It has a beautiful, intimate, overtone-rich sound. Surprisingly little is known about these striking instruments. One resource is the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota, whose collection houses what could be this frame violin's sister...


MUTED IN THE MEDIA

Musical excerpt by Louis Andriessen (Podium Witteman, live television broadcast)


Watch live TV broadcast of Podium Witteman here -the segment about MUTED starts at 6'55" (in Dutch). Music: 19'30"


De Volkskrant (NL) 
Excerpts translated from DutchRead complete article here (Dutch). Persis Bekkering, 6 June 2018
 
Violinist Monica Germino can play again, despite hearing problems, thanks to quiet pieces written especially for her                  

"The American-Dutch violinist Monica Germino, known for her electronically amplified performances of music by contemporary composers, is given the worst conceivable news three years ago: she has to stop making music or take drastic measures to protect her hearing." ...READ MORE


NRC Handelsblad (NL)
Excerpts translated from Dutch
 
Red Sofa celebrates 10 years, opens festival with Monica Germino’s quiet violin 
Adventurous violinist Monica Germino enthusiastic about Red Sofa's new music program in Rotterdam's De Doelen                       
Read complete article here (in Dutch). Joep Stapel, 21 March, 2018      

"...As the pop-up artist, Monica Germino will decide what she will actually play in the moment. It will certainly be soft, because a few years ago Germino was diagnosed as 'sensitive to sound,' which means that her ears are more prone to damage [from high decibel levels]. She had to say goodbye to the high-octane soundtracks and louder works for electric violin, giving up many pieces she had often performed.

She is now "more curious than sad," says Germino. Playing quietly opens up a whole new dimension; and apart from a reflection on silence and listening it can also be "an antidote to the relentless noise of our world." She has amassed a huge collection of mutes (sourdines) and plays a rare 'frame violin' from ca. 1870, an instrument without a sound box which therefore plays at a very low volume. Germino: "Neil [Wallace] wants me to play the frame violin in the Main Hall without any amplification; for me that's a thrill, an adventure." Wallace: "You will hear a pin drop.”


photo: Lucas Kemper

Orlando Festival

16 August 2018, 16.30
venue: Aula Minor Rolduc, Kerkrade
works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Louis Andriessen, César Franck
Louis Andriessen: 'Archy and Mehitabel' (2018)*
Monica Germino, violin & voice
 
The Orlando Festival runs from 9-19 August, 2018.
Artistic director: Henk Guittart
 
* 'Archy and Mehitabel' is part of a large 4-composer project called MUTED. [read more]
MUTED
newsletter
26 June 2018

read the newsletter June 2018

Monica's latest newsletter about MUTED & more: read more here

De Volkskrant: "Violinist Monica Germino can..."

De Volkskrant (NL) 
Excerpts translated from Dutch. Read complete article here (Dutch) 
 
INTERVIEW MONICA GERMINO
Violinist Monica Germino can play again, despite hearing problems, thanks to quiet pieces written especially for her
 
The American-Dutch violinist Monica Germino, known for her electronically amplified performances of music by contemporary composers, is given the worst conceivable news three years ago: she has to stop making music or take drastic measures to protect her hearing.
Monica Germino. Photo Sharon Mor Yosef

She has known for a long time that she is 'sensitive to sound,' which means that sound enters her ears at a higher level than it would to others hearing the exact same sound. That is why her ears are more prone to damage. The loudest violinist in the country can now only play very softly.

'It's like a runner who hears that if he keeps running at high speeds, he is likely to have knee injuries in the future. He can still do a fast walk,' says Germino. '80 decibels is my fast walk.'

Quite a blow for someone who cherishes volume. Even her acoustic violin is too loud. Germino's first reaction is to stop everything. 'I didn't want to have the violin next to my ears.'  She arranges replacements for her projects and concerts. She can hardly talk about her condition with others. 'Playing the violin is my identity. What was I supposed to say now? Hi, I'm Monica and I'm ...'

She also calls Michael Gordon, the world-famous American composer, to cancel a project. 'Then everything changed. For Michael, stopping was not an option. He said, "I am going to write you a very soft piece. And I want to be the first to do this for you."

Two colleagues from the New York collective Bang on a Can, Julia Wolfe and David Lang, join forces. They have been working with the theme of silence for some time; for example, Lang wrote a 'whisper opera.' Wolfe had written a piece for Germino before. The Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, who composed several pieces for Germino, is asked to be artistic leader. The result, MUTED, will premiere tomorrow at the Oranjewoud Festival. Germino can play again. 'The composers saved me,' says the violinist.

Two historical 'frame violins' are featured in MUTED. A frame violin is a violin without a sound box. Just like an electric violin, but acoustic and unamplified. A violin without a sound box is extremely quiet. Such an instrument is usually used to practice (to spare the neighbors). The renowned industrial designer Marcel Wanders, former amateur violinist, has also built a spectacular whisperviolin with luthier Bas Maas. Instead of the traditional scroll found on normal violins, the whisperviolin has a finger, as if to say: shhh. 

But the music in MUTED is not necessarily extremely soft. 'It is also about the perception of sound, and about contrast. For example, I can start out playing with a sourdine, a mute, on the violin. When I take it off the audience suddenly experiences the music as loud, but it is really not loud at all. Sound works just like light, you adapt to it.' 

Can't you just play with earplugs, other musicians sometimes ask. Germino has tried it for a year before she finally quit her orchestral job at the end of the '90s, already diagnosed with sound sensitivity. 'I never got used to it. Earplugs are deadening. They take away too many of the subtle details, such as the sound of bow hair gliding across a string. '

Many colleagues did not understand why she quit her job. Hearing damage is a sensitive issue for (classical) musicians, almost a taboo. Those who play in a Wagner opera in an orchestra pit are exposed to sound levels around 130 decibels. Germino: 'When I left the orchestra, a colleague said: "Well, aren't we all deaf?'

However Germino is not deaf, perhaps to the contrary. By playing softer, her experience of music has changed. 'I am now much more aware of sound. It sounds ironic, but I now hear a hundred times as much as before.'

Muted. 7 (try-out), 8 (premiere) and 9/6 2018, Oranjewoud Festival. Next season (international) tour.

WHISPERVIOLIN, FRAME VIOLIN, SOURDINE

The whisperviolin, made for Monica Germino by designer Marcel Wanders together with luthier Bas Maas, is a violin that produces fewer decibels than the normal, acoustic violin. It is inspired by the seventeenth-century 'pocket violin:' a violin with a narrower sound box, then used by dance masters.

She also plays two frame violins: violins without a sound box, only the 'ribs.' These instruments were made out of the leftover wood from making violins. The sound is softer and rich in overtones, which are higher tones that vibrate sympathetically with the sounding tone.

An ordinary violin can also be made to sound softer when using a sourdine, also known as a mute. This is a clip made of wood, plastic, metal or leather, which is placed on the bridge, limiting or altering the vibrations. Germino now has a collection of hundreds of sourdines.

MUTED premieres at Oranjewoud Festival

MUTED

Premiere: 8 & 9 June 2018 at 20.00 & 22.00, Oranjewoud Festival, Museum Belvedere. Try-out performances on 7 June at 20.00 & 22.00.

MUTED: A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, a multitude of mutes, and light design

Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort

Text: excerpts from Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis


 
What’s in a decibel? - read the backstory about MUTED 
 

 

pictured here: the frame violin, also known as a mute violin, ca. 1870. It has a beautiful, intimate, overtone-rich sound. Surprisingly little is known about these striking instruments. One resource is the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota, whose collection houses what could be this frame violin's sister...


In the press:
 
Watch live TV broadcast of Podium Witteman here -the segment about MUTED starts at 6'55" (in Dutch). Music: 19'30"

Excerpt by Louis Andriessen here


De Volkskrant (NL) 
Excerpts translated from DutchRead complete article here (Dutch). -by Persis Bekkering, 6 June 2018
 
Violinist Monica Germino can play again, despite hearing problems, thanks to quiet pieces written especially for her                  

"The American-Dutch violinist Monica Germino, known for her electronically amplified performances of music by contemporary composers, is given the worst conceivable news three years ago: she has to stop making music or take drastic measures to protect her hearing." ...READ MORE


NRC Handelsblad (NL)
Excerpts translated from Dutch
 
Red Sofa celebrates 10 years, opens festival with Monica Germino’s quiet violin 
Adventurous violinist Monica Germino enthusiastic about Red Sofa's new music program in Rotterdam's De Doelen                       
Read complete article here (in Dutch). -by Joep Stapel, 21 March, 2018      

"...As the pop-up artist, Monica Germino will decide what she will actually play in the moment. It will certainly be soft, because a few years ago Germino was diagnosed as 'sensitive to sound,' which means that her ears are more prone to damage [from high decibel levels]. She had to say goodbye to the high-octane soundtracks and louder works for electric violin, giving up many pieces she had often performed.

She is now "more curious than sad," says Germino. Playing quietly opens up a whole new dimension; and apart from a reflection on silence and listening it can also be "an antidote to the relentless noise of our world." She has amassed a huge collection of mutes (sourdines) and plays a rare 'frame violin' from ca. 1870, an instrument without a sound box which therefore plays at a very low volume. Germino: "Neil [Wallace] wants me to play the frame violin in the Main Hall without any amplification; for me that's a thrill, an adventure." Wallace: "You will hear a pin drop.”

Spring Loaded Festival: 10 years of Red Sofa. De Doelen Rotterdam. www.dedoelen.nl


The mutes in MUTED 
Central to Monica Germino’s work is her unusual family of instruments, as well as her ever-expanding collection of mutes. Germino’s ongoing search has resulted in over 400 vintage, modern, and newly commissioned mutes. A mute (a.k.a. sourdine, sordino, demper) can alter the sound of the violin in countless ways. From Canada to Spain, mute-makers are experimenting with new designs and all kinds of materials – leather, metal, cork, magnets, plexiglass, bone, rubber, paper, textiles, the list goes on. Special thanks to Stam Vioolbouw for their marvelous donation to the collection.

The instruments

  • A (muted) J. B. Ceruti violin from Cremona (1802) on permanent loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation
  • Two rare frame violins, also known as mute violins, with a delicate, surprisingly overtone-rich sound (ca. 1870 and 1970)
  • A custom-made Violectra electric violin (2007)
  • The new whisperviolin (2018), by Bas Maas and Marcel Wanders
  • A ‘whisperbow,’ made of carbon fibre, produces a wispy, delicate sound

Cast of credits, MUTED:

Commissioners
The Doelen, Rotterdam (Neil Wallace, Executive Producer)
Oranjewoud Festival, Oranjewoud
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, New York
Music on Main, Vancouver
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival

Partners and presenters
Wonderfeel Festival
Korzo, Den Haag
Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam
November Music, Den Bosch

With thanks to
Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Louis Andriessen
MassMoCA, Massachusetts, USA
Kenny Savelson, Bang on a Can All-Stars
Phillipa Thompson, Bang on a Can Summer Festival
Vera Kuiper, Dutch Consulate, New York
Neil Wallace, Programme Director, de Doelen
Bas Maas, luthier
Marcel Wanders, designer
Niek Versfeld and Jaap Peter Kronemeijer, Audiologisch Centrum Hilversum
Stijn Hoogeboom, Oorwerk, Hilversum
Jacqueline & Serge Stam, Stam Vioolbouw
Fonds Podiumkunsten / Performing Arts Fund NL

photo Anne Reinke

Decibels & Instruments & Mutes: the backstory

MUTED premiered in June 2018 at the Oranjewoud Festival. Programme notes and text here.
 
What’s in a decibel?
The specialists were unanimous: my ears are highly sensitive to sound. ‘Geluidsgevoelig,’ in Dutch. It sounded almost positive to me, ‘sensitive to sound.’ It’s also not uncommon. But a high sensitivity to sound means that my ears are more prone to damage. A person standing next to me could be exposed to exactly the same sounds, yet not be affected. The advice was clear: I needed to protect my hearing by significantly reducing my exposure to high decibel (dB) levels.
Decibel levels and the key concept of duration: what is considered safe? How many dB for how long? Impossible questions to answer infallibly, but working with the Audiologisch Centrum Hilversum brought clarity to a complex situation. They measured the decibel levels of different violin mutes (a.k.a. sourdine, sordino, demper), giving estimates and advice about a multitude of issues. Many thanks to experts N.J. Versfeld and J.P. Kronemeijer, and Oorwerk’s Stijn Hoogeboom in Hilversum.
A runner hears: if they keep running at high speeds, chances are high that in future years they’re going to have serious knee pain. They might even need surgery. But if they slow down to a fast walk, chances are they could avoid that. So the runner chooses to protect their knees by going from running to a fast walk. In hearing terms, my ‘fast walk’ is about 80 decibels. My acoustic violin can measure 90-95 dB under my ear.
Confronted with the fact that it would be reckless to continue exposing my ears to a high level of decibels, I had to make choices. I was lucky that I learned this sooner rather than later. I consoled myself with that knowledge while evaluating the decibel levels of treasured and prospective collaborations. I said farewell to click tracks, bass drums, and high-volume soundtracks. I sifted through pieces that were simply too loud for me now, many of them close to my heart, and started the process of finding them new homes, new interpreters.
There’s a passage from Igor Stravinsky’s Poetics of Music: ‘My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminishes constraint diminishes strength. The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self of the chains that shackle the spirit.’
Limits inspire creativity. MUTED opens doors for a new voice. There's power in quietness and strength in speaking softly. 

 

pictured here: the frame violin, also known as a mute violin, ca. 1870. It has a beautiful, intimate, overtone-rich sound. Surprisingly little is known about these striking instruments. One resource is the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota, whose collection houses what could be this frame violin's sister...


MUTED
Cue the new music community: resourceful, supportive and stubborn composers and colleagues who lifted me up and pulled me along this fascinating journey. Ups and downs and the unexpected began to feel like the status quo. Michael Gordon's response to what was drastic news to me —having to protect my hearing by stopping or adapting how I played the violin — was one of optimism and curiosity. I'll never forget his words: “I’m going to write you a piece so soft, I don’t care if no one can hear it.” Michael, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe decided to join forces to create MUTED, “the quietest violin piece ever written.” The three later invited Louis Andriessen to join in the experiment, fulfilling a long-held wish to collaborate.


Watch musical excerpt by Louis Andriessen here (Podium Witteman, live television broadcast)


There is an enormously talented and resourceful pool of people involved, including stage and light designer Floriaan Ganzevoort, executive producer Neil Wallace & De Doelen, numerous mute creators, filmmakers, audiologists, producers, commissioners, as well as a swath of venues and festivals. The list* is long and heartwarming.
Special thanks to luthier Bas Maas and designer Marcel Wanders, who created an entirely new, lower-decibel instrument, a ‘whisperviolin,’ inspired by and loosely modeled on the 17th-century ‘pochette’ violin, but made to explore the world of quieter sounds. Besides unmatched creativity and unparalleled skill, both bring a sense of adventure and a palpable excitement to the process.
 

MUTED has its roots in the reaction from composers to my high sensitivity to sound and having to cut down the amount of decibels pouring into my ears. I used to play pretty hard-hitting music, much of it newly commissioned. I took measures to protect my hearing and left the world of orchestral playing many years ago, but I was probably one of the loudest violinists around. And as Mehitabel** would say, “I have no regrets!” But saying farewell to a repertoire close to my heart has its difficult moments, and tough choices abound.
It’s new territory for me, there’s an uncharted development process ahead, and a completely new sound world to figure out. My work has always been composer driven, and I am extremely grateful to and moved by the active role composers and colleagues are taking in this enforced, bewildering, and somehow increasingly exciting development in my creative path as a musician.
 
**MUTED includes a part for my (speaking & singing) voice, in settings of texts from Don Marquis’ 1930’s New York Post cult column 'Archy and Mehitabel.' 

The mutes in MUTED 
Central to Monica Germino’s work is her unusual family of instruments, as well as her ever-expanding collection of mutes. Germino’s ongoing search has resulted in over 400 vintage, modern, and newly commissioned mutes. A mute (a.k.a. sourdine, sordino, demper) can alter the sound of the violin in countless ways. From Canada to Spain, mute-makers are experimenting with new designs and all kinds of materials – leather, metal, cork, magnets, plexiglass, bone, rubber, paper, textiles, the list goes on. Special thanks to Stam Vioolbouw for their marvelous donation to the collection.

 

The instruments

  • A (muted) J. B. Ceruti violin from Cremona (1802) on permanent loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation
  • A rare frame violin, also known as a mute violin, with a delicate, surprisingly overtone-rich sound (ca. 1870)
  • A custom-made Violectra electric violin (2007)
  • The ingenious whisperviolin (2019), by Bas Maas and Marcel Wanders
  • A ‘whisperbow,’ made of carbon fibre, produces a wispy, delicate sound

The whisperviolin (2019)
To add to the instrumentarium, luthier Bas Maas and designer Marcel Wanders created an entirely new, lower-decibel instrument, a ‘whisperviolin,’ inspired by and loosely modeled on the 17th-century ‘pochette’ violin, but created to explore the world of quieter sounds. When Wanders took on this challenge, he spoke about decibels and sound and his fascination with “designing a violin for Monica, and how this could ultimately also help other violinists.” Marcel Wanders played the violin for 6 years and reveres its history, shape, and form. Bas Maas is on a quest for ways that unconventional ideas could possibly work. Besides unmatched creativity and unparalleled skill, both bring a sense of adventure and a palpable excitement to the process.

Marcel Wanders: “The hope also is that this new instrument will end up helping other violinists as well. Monica is not the only one going through this.”

I wholeheartedly agree. As interesting as this whole journey is, I hope going down this path can help other musicians. On that note...

Frequently Asked Questions:
"Why don’t you just use earplugs?” For those who do and can still enjoy music-making, that's great. I tried this option for many months, but it felt like sensory deprivation. I rely on (and love) the subtle sounds associated with playing the violin. It's essential for me to hear the tapping of my left hand on the fingerboard and the sound the hair of the bow makes when touching the string. Earplugs block those sounds out. This all contributed to my decision to bring down the volume of the violin instead of muffling my ears. That said, of course I fully support the use of hearing protectors. 
"Do your ears hurt?" No. That said, certain loud or abrasive sounds hurt. Which brings me to...
"What is hyperacusis?" This is something I suffer from, albeit to a lesser degree than described in the majority of the cases I have read about online. I notice hyperacusis during activities like emptying a dishwasher- the sound of a plate striking another plate is an unpleasant, jarring sound for me. I hesitate to provide a comprehensive link to any one source, as there is a lot of information out there. 
 
Other useful articles (please email me if you have tips or suggestions)
WNPR News: How Your Hearing Is Affected By Volume, and What the Damage Sounds Like
WBUR article: Are earphones or earbuds a problem?
There is a flood of information, research, and articles about hearing protection and hearing disorders available online and in print. I have found that the majority focuses on musicians who play amplified, and orchestral musicians (too many cases for me to document here).

If you're still with me:
June 2018 marked the world première at the Netherlands’ Oranjewoud Festival, as part of Leeuwarden’s 2018 Cultural Capital of Europe programme.
 
A collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violin, a multitude of mutes, and light design
Composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe
Set design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort
 
Notes about the program:
The collective composition MUTED features violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violins, hundreds of mutes, and light design. Created in response to Germino's high sensitivity to sound, Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe joined forces to create a piece that explores the limits of audibility. The three composers invited Louis Andriessen to join them in the experiment, fulfilling a long-held wish to collaborate. Floriaan Ganzevoort designed a light object based on sound waves, controlled live in performance.
While the label “quietest piece ever written for violin” certainly applies to parts of this 4-composer work, the contrast in audibility plays an essential role. Similar to how pupils expand and contract depending on how much light there is in a space, the different decibel levels play with sonic perception. A frame violin (ca. 1870) with a delicate, surprisingly overtone-rich sound is featured alongside the ingenious 'whisperviolin' (2019), created by designer Marcel Wanders and luthier Bas Maas. Other instruments are paired with metal-tipped fingers or bespoke mutes from an ever-expanding collection of more than 400 vintage, modern, and newly commissioned mutes. Monica’s singing voice is heard in settings of texts from 'Archy and Mehitabel,' a compilation of Don Marquis’s writings in his daily column, where they first appeared in 1916.
This intensely theatrical piece is conceived for small groups of listeners in intimate spaces. MUTED may owe its origins to four composers paying tribute to the determination of a single musician, but it is also a reflection on silence, on the act of listening, an antidote to the noise and the ever-increasing clamor of today’s world.

 

Light design by Floriaan Ganzevoort


*Cast of credits, MUTED:

Commissioners
The Doelen, Rotterdam (Neil Wallace, Executive Producer)
Oranjewoud Festival, Oranjewoud
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, New York
Music on Main, Vancouver
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
 
Partners and presenters
Wonderfeel Festival
Korzo Theater, Den Haag
Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, Amsterdam
November Music, Den Bosch
 
With thanks to
Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Louis Andriessen
MassMoCA, Massachusetts, USA
Kenny Savelson, Bang on a Can All-Stars
Phillipa Thompson, Bang on a Can Summer Festival
Vera Kuiper, Dutch Consulate, New York
Neil Wallace, Programme Director, de Doelen
Bas Maas, luthier
Marcel Wanders, designer
Niek Versfeld and Jaap Peter Kronemeijer, Audiologisch Centrum Hilversum
Stijn Hoogeboom, Oorwerk, Hilversum
Bas Andriessen, filmmaker
Jacqueline & Serge Stam, Stam Vioolbouw
Fonds Podiumkunsten / Performing Arts Fund NL

MUTED in the press

New York Times reviews MUTED 
The Wall Street Journal Philharmonic Dials Down Music to a ‘Whisper’
New York Times: MUTED on the top of the list
6 Classical Music Concerts to See in N.Y.C. This Weekend 
The Georgia Straight, Vancouver CA: Diagnosis sends violin star Monica Germino in search of softer sounds at PuSh fest
De VolkskrantVioliste Monica Germino kan door speciaal voor haar geschreven zachte stukkenweer spelen
NRC Handelsblad10 jarige Red Sofa opent met Monica Germino’s zachtaardige viool   
The Washington Times
Oberon’s Grove
Broadwayworld.com announcements & here
New York Philharmonic press release
VIDEO
Music on Main about MUTED
Podium Witteman, live: fragment van MUTED 
Full broadcast: Podium Witteman


The New York Times -Anthony Tommasini
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.CreditHiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
The violinist Monica Germino in "Muted," presented by the Philharmonic at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
"... the impressive and courageous violinist Monica Germino gave the American premiere of “Muted,” a 40-minute, musical-theatrical work written for her by four composers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe and Louis Andriessen.
Ms. Germino was a champion of contemporary music, including experimental works with percussion and electronics, when, a few years ago, she was diagnosed with a hearing condition that rendered her extremely sensitive to sound. She must avoid exposure to high volume of any kind.
“Muted” was the response of four composer colleagues. The piece involves very soft sounds played on an array of violins, from traditional to experimental, and used various standard mutes (brass pieces fitted on the bridge of the instrument to muffle sound). During parts of ”Muted,” Ms. Germino also sang or spoke fanciful texts by Don Marquis and moved around a central, light-projecting circular tower of aluminum rings (designed by Floriaan Ganzevoort).
While wistful, the music shifts through moods and styles that alternately suggest tender folk songs, gently swaying dances, bursts of hushed busyness, bluesy melodies, even twangy hints of hoedown. “Muted” may be the quietest piece ever written for violin, but it was riveting in this intimately powerful performance."
read more


The Wall Street Journal - A violinist with a sensitivity to sound will perform ‘Muted,’ a special, quieter piece for audiences in Brooklyn

Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. Photo: Peter Foley for The Wall Street Journal
Violinist Monica Germino performs on a frame violin, which is quieter than a traditional violin, at New York’s Lincoln Center. A caveat: the audio in the video segment is louder than in performance
"The composers involved explain that “Muted” isn’t necessarily difficult for audiences to hear. [Michael] Gordon said concertgoers just need to pay closer attention. He likens it to stepping into a dimly lit room and adjusting your eyes until you can see clearly once again..." 
The Wall Street Journal


Live TV broadcast Podium Witteman -the MUTED segment starts at 6'55" (in Dutch). Music: 19'30"

Excerpt by Louis Andriessen here


De Volkskrant (NL) 
 
Violinist Monica Germino can play again, despite hearing problems, thanks to quiet pieces written especially for her                  

"The American-Dutch violinist Monica Germino, known for her electronically amplified performances of music by contemporary composers, is given the worst conceivable news three years ago: she has to stop making music or take drastic measures to protect her hearing." ...READ MORE


NRC Handelsblad (NL)
Excerpts translated from Dutch
 
Red Sofa celebrates 10 years, opens festival with Monica Germino’s quiet violin 
Adventurous violinist Monica Germino enthusiastic about Red Sofa's new music program in Rotterdam's De Doelen                       
Read complete article here (in Dutch). -by Joep Stapel, 21 March, 2018      

"...As the pop-up artist, Monica Germino will decide what she will actually play in the moment. It will certainly be soft, because a few years ago Germino was diagnosed as 'sensitive to sound,' which means that her ears are more prone to damage [from high decibel levels]. She had to say goodbye to the high-octane soundtracks and louder works for electric violin, giving up many pieces she had often performed.

She is now "more curious than sad," says Germino. Playing quietly opens up a whole new dimension; and apart from a reflection on silence and listening it can also be "an antidote to the relentless noise of our world." She has amassed a huge collection of mutes (sourdines) and plays a rare 'frame violin' from ca. 1870, an instrument without a sound box which therefore plays at a very low volume. Germino: "Neil [Wallace] wants me to play the frame violin in the Main Hall without any amplification; for me that's a thrill, an adventure." Wallace: "You will hear a pin drop.”

Spring Loaded Festival: 10 years of Red Sofa. De Doelen Rotterdam.


photos: Anne Reinke

Live TV broadcast, Podium Witteman

Watch live TV broadcast of Podium Witteman here -the segment about MUTED starts at 6'55" (in Dutch). Music: 19'30"

Excerpt by Louis Andriessen here

Monica Germino talks about and plays excerpts from MUTED, a collective work by 4 composers for violin, voice, whisperviolin, frame violin, a multitude of mutes, and light

composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe

Broadcast date: 6 May, 18.00, NPO2

Premiere of MUTED: 8 June 2018 at 20.00, Oranjewoud Festival, Museum Belvedere. Performances from 7-9 June.

composers: Louis Andriessen, Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe

Stage design & lighting: Floriaan Ganzevoort

Text: excerpts from archy and mehitabel by Don Marquis

NRC: Red Sofa, pop-up artist, & quiet playing

NRC Handelsblad
21 March, 2018.  Excerpts translated from Dutch
 
Red Sofa celebrates 10 years, opens festival with Monica Germino’s quiet violin (excerpts)
Adventurous violinist Monica Germino enthusiastic about Red Sofa's new music program in Rotterdam's De Doelen                       Read complete article here (in Dutch) 
-by Joep Stapel       

Contemporary music has a reputation for being difficult. The tired cliche of dry, impenetrable music played to empty halls still exists. But De Doelen in Rotterdam is overthrowing the stereotype with a lively and accessible new music series. It's called Red Sofa, and celebrates its tenth anniversary this week with the six-day Spring Loaded festival. A film concert, a bicycle ride to secret concert venues, a 'pop-up artist,' world premieres, and of course the red three-seater sofa as the center for informal talks before and after the concerts. "I put everything into this festival that makes Red Sofa into Red Sofa," says Programme Director Neil Wallace.

The pop-up artist is the adventurous violinist Monica Germino. She will open the festival and perform a number of interventions. Germino is a fervent admirer of the Red Sofa series: "Neil Wallace has achieved something you also see in modern art museums: people aren't apprehensive, they’re curious and open to new discoveries."

The Red Sofa formula revolves around this curiosity, says Wallace (1953). "We have built a community of interested people who are not afraid of new notes. I’m probably the only new music programmer in the Netherlands who has no worries about what I present – people will come anyway.”

As the pop-up artist, Monica Germino will decide what she will actually play in the moment. It will certainly be soft, because a few years ago Germino was diagnosed as 'sensitive to sound,' which means that her ears are more prone to damage [from high decibel levels]. She had to say goodbye to the high-octane soundtracks and louder works for electric violin, giving up many pieces she had often performed.

She is now "more curious than sad," says Germino. Playing quietly opens up a whole new dimension; and apart from a reflection on silence and listening it can also be "an antidote to the relentless noise of our world." She has amassed a huge collection of mutes (sourdines) and plays a rare 'frame violin' from ca. 1870, an instrument without a sound box which therefore plays at a very low volume. Germino: "Neil wants me to play the frame violin in the Main Hall without any amplification; for me that's a thrill, an adventure." Wallace: "You will hear a pin drop.”

Spring Loaded Festival: 10 years of Red Sofa. 21-26 / 3 De Doelen Rotterdam. Inl . www.dedoelen.nl

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Festival Spring Loaded: secrets in the city

It's not a Red Sofa anniversary without a bicycle ride to short performances at secret locations in the city!
Spring Loaded pop-up artist in residence Monica Germino will be there. The rest is a secret, except that there will be music in 4 locations in the Delfshaven district, and that a world premiere will be in almost every space…
An irresistible and surprising way to get to know both new music and hidden places in Rotterdam.
 
The starting point: De Machinist in Delfshaven, at 19.00
Address: Willem Buytewechstraat 45
3024 BK Rotterdam
 
Red Sofa in De Doelen celebrates 10-year anniversary with Festival Spring Loaded Read press release here
 
Spring Loaded presents film, premieres, cycling, and more
Young composers write new works, Monica Germino is pop-up artist in residence, five world premieres, a bicycle tour to four secret concert venues, and much more.   
 
An extraordinary series of concerts
For 10 years now, De Doelen has been presenting modern music in an accessible manner under the name 'Red Sofa.' With a bright red sofa on stage as a symbol of hospitality and by providing every concert with free introductions, follow-up talks and meet & greets with musicians and composers, a sound world unknown to many has been unlocked for the past 10 years. With around 10,500 filled seats at Red Sofa concerts in 2017, de Doelen has managed to set up the largest community for new music in the Netherlands. Ten years of Red Sofa will be celebrated with the six-day Festival Spring Loaded from 21 to 26 March 2018.

Red Sofa: Festival Spring Loaded

21 - 26 March, 2018
Red Sofa celebrates 10-year anniversary with Festival Spring Loaded
Monica Germino, pop-up artist in residence
Jubileum of Red Sofa in the Doelen celebrated with Festival Spring Loaded: Read press release here

Spring Loaded presents film, premieres, cycling, and more
Young composers write new works, Monica Germino is pop-up artist in residence, five world premieres, a bicycle tour to four secret concert venues, and much more.   

Opening concert on 21 March: Pete Harden, the Matangi Quartet, Ensemble Klang, and Michaela Riener are working together for the opening concert. Oscar Bettison’s composition 'Presence of Absence' is combined with the film 'Homo Sapiens’ by renowned filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter.
 
An extraordinary series of concerts
For 10 years now, De Doelen has been presenting modern music in an accessible manner under the name 'Red Sofa.' With a bright red sofa on stage as a symbol of hospitality and by providing every concert with free introductions, follow-up talks and meet & greets with musicians and composers, a sound world unknown to many has been unlocked for the past 10 years. With around 10,500 filled seats at Red Sofa concerts in 2017, de Doelen has managed to set up the largest community for new music in the Netherlands. Ten years of Red Sofa will be celebrated with the six-day Festival Spring Loaded from 21 to 26 March 2018.

virtual bubble concert

During the opening weekend of Leeuwarden-Fryslân Cultural Capital of Europe 2018, Oranjewoud Festival presents a unique performance by violinist Monica Germino. In the central hall of pop venue Neushoorn, she creates a virtual bubble in the midst of all the activity. The audience steps into this by putting on a wireless headset and sitting in a circle around the violinist performing Jacob TV's Shakedown from SUITES OF LUX for electric violin & soundtrack. Each session lasts about 8 minutes. Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018

watch the trailer:

Saturday 27 January, 19.00 - 21.00

venue: Neushoorn; Leeuwarden, NL 

Visiting Artist at the USF School of Music 2017-2018

photo: Bryce Womeldurf 
Visiting artist and violinist Monica Germino addresses students during an intensive violin studio class on November 8, 2017.
 
"Violinist Monica Germino wraps up an exciting semester as visiting artist at the USF School of Music" Read more
 
"Germino has spent her time introducing students to new contemporary music composers and techniques while challenging them every step of the way. Working with a studio already well-versed in contemporary music, she pushed the students further into the realm of new music by assigning works by composers such as Donnacha Dennehy, Annie Gosfield, Louis Andriessen, Vanessa Lann, and Philip Glass.
In early November, she coordinated and moderated a special violin studio class in Barness Hall with live sound and technical support from the USF Composition department. All 18 members of the violin studio introduced their pieces – which ranged from Ives and Boulanger to new music spanning the 1980s to the present – before performing them live with any complementary soundtracks and amplification.
Students saw firsthand what it is like to engage with music in an intensive setting with the guidance of a challenging, supportive, and experienced musician. Some even sang while playing violin, a method of performance that has come to characterize Germino's own professional work.
"What I love about her is she is bringing it right to the students," said Scott Kluksdahl, professor of cello and chamber music. His students often collaborate with the violin studio for chamber music pieces. He calls the recent studio class "a real glimpse into how an artist engages in the creative process ... Everybody had to go outside their comfort zone and do something that was in the realm of the unknown."
Germino's presence this semester has advanced the musicianship of violin students at USF and will leave a lasting impression on both student performers and composers alike. "To have an established new music performer who's not only passionate but also really good and well-recognized is really useful," said [Logan] Barrett [a third-year music composition student]. "It's reassuring and directly helps us because it gets the violinists more into what we do."
-Connor Murphy
 
 

frame violin

Welcome to the newest addition to the family, which thus far includes a Ceruti from 1802, a Violectra by Dave Bruce Johnson, a modified violin for INDUSTRY, Mr. Blue (seeing is believing), and more coming up...watch this space!

This frame violin, also known as a mute violin, is from ca. 1870. It has a beautiful, intimate, overtone-rich sound. Surprisingly little is known about these striking instruments.  One resource is the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota.

video premiere of Shapeshifter

Watch the video here! (excerpt)

NEW@LOG: New video! The Log Journal premieres the video to Molly Joyce's "Shapeshifter," off her recent EP and featuring violinist Monica Germino. Video shot and edited by Kevin Eikenberg of Four/Ten Media:

The Log Journal "Our friends at New Amsterdam Records have given us the opportunity to share a number of exclusive album previews in recent months. Today we’ve got something different to offer along with NewAm: our first VIDEO premiere, for the Molly Joyce composition Shapeshifter. Performed by the Dutch duo of violinist Monica Germino and sound engineer Frank van der Weij, the piece is one of two works included on Joyce’s new digital EP, 'Lean Back and Release.'

Molly Joyce: “Shapeshifter is a work inspired and motivated by physical change and its many implications. When I originally wrote it for the violin and engineer duo of Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij, I was aiming for the violin to gradually ‘shape-shift’ to a new and divergent sound. Thus the video to accompany excerpts of the work utilizes projection mapping and more to distort the actress’s appearance and propel her to a new physical image.”

18th Biennial Festival of New Music

photo: Co Broerse

1-4 February 2017: Monica Germino in residence at the 18th Biennial Festival of New Music at Florida State University College of Music. 23 composers from across the country will attend performances of their works in a series of 7 concerts. The festival will feature presentations, works, performances, and masterclasses by special guests: composer Louis Andriessen, the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, and violinist Monica Germino. 

New release: Monica Germino plays Molly Joyce's Shapeshifter

 New Amsterdam Records releases a digital EP of two tracks for solo violin with live and pre-recorded electronics, by Molly Joyce . Monica Germino plays Joyce's entrancing Shapeshifter and Adrianna Mateo plays the title track, Lean Back and Release. Mixing/mastering by Andrew McKenna Lee, Frank van der Weij, Krišs Veismanis, Michael Laurello, and Greg Kalember. 
Out now via New Amsterdam Bandcamp subscription & everywhere else on 27 January 2017. 

Listen on Spotify

Watch the video (excerpt)

The title track is followed by a more recent work, "Shapeshifter", originally written for the Dutch duo of violinist Monica Germino and sound engineer Frank van der Weij. Premiered in April 2015 in The Hague and Amsterdam, "Shapeshifter" is motivated by the concept of control and losing it. It is driven by the fact that with the duo, Frank is typically not seen visually, and therefore the idea of him controlling Monica’s sound and gradually letting go of that control is highlighted throughout the piece, and for Monica to gradually “shape-shift” to a new and divergent sound. The Shapeshifter recording was engineered by Frank van der Weij, Krišs Veismanis, and mixed by Michael Laurello, and mastered by Greg Kalember. 

Molly Joyce on both works: 
"Lean Back and Release' and 'Shapeshifter' represent some of my first explorations into composing for acoustic instruments with accompanying electronics, and specifically how these instruments' sounds can transform electro-acoustically. With both works I was striving for a clear form that is driven by the changing range of the solo violinist, and how that change can be driven by an electronic backing track that is also derived from the acoustic violin. 
Both pieces are also very much inspired by the violinists they are written for, and were written to challenge and showcase Adrianna and Monica's talents in new and unexpected ways."

READ MORE: Broadwayworld.com