MISSY MAZZOLI Tooth and Nail
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1980 in Lansdale , PA
• Born in Pennsylvania , Missy Mazzoli studied at Boston University , Yale School of Music , and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague .
• Mazzoli has released three full-length albums , and her music has been performed by Eighth Blackbird , the Kronos Quartet , the Los Angeles Philharmonic , Los Angeles Opera , and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra .
• Described by Time Out New York as “ Brooklyn ’ s post-millennial Mozart ,” Mazzoli is one of today ’ s most exciting composers and has received numerous accolades such as a Fulbright Grant , the ASCAP Young Composers Award , and a Grammy nomination in 2017 .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
2010
MUSIC Rihanna ’ s “ Only Girl ”
FILM Black Swan
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Tooth and Nail was written in 2010 for violist Nadia Sirota and recoded for her album Baroque .
• The work takes its inspiration from the traditional music of Uzbekistan and the jaw harp , an instrument that is played by holding a metal frame in one ’ s mouth and plucking a tine . Mazzoli recreates the sound and harmonies of the jaw harp through a combination of electronic music and strings . According to Mazzoli , the electronic part is made up almost entirely of viola samples , allowing the viola to play in counterpoint with itself .
LITERATURE Rebecca Skloot ’ s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
HISTORY The Affordable Care Act passes in Congress
18 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA