Austin is rich with examples of the power of artistic collaboration. Last year, the most talked-about classical music event of the spring was Mozart Requiem Undead. This year, it’s the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s How Little You Are. What do these two events have in common? Each one is the singular result of a creative collaboration, an idea birthed by Austin’s highly independent and individual arts organizations getting together and deciding to create something big. 

In the case of the Mozart project, the creative spark began with leaders of the Golden Hornet Project and Texas Choral Consort. In the Muhly work, which premieres this coming Saturday at Bass Concert Hall, the brainstorming grew out of conversations by Texas Performing Arts, Conspirare, and Austin Classical Guitar.

Collaborating is hard. It’s much easier to work alone – not so many meetings to coordinate, not so much consensus to build.  But once all of the knotty details have been smoothed out, the rewards are evident.  A great collaboration gets people talking and makes for an unforgettable audience experience.  

KMFA 89.5 is proud to have been the media sponsor of both of these remarkable musical events. We have put together a wealth of information about Nico Muhly and his gorgeous new work. I encourage you to make your way to Bass Concert Hall this Saturday to be a part of the excitement. If you are unable to be there in person, you can enjoy the performance in a live broadcast on KMFA 89.5 and right here on kmfa.org.