Cellist and Producer Maya Beiser's New Album, "Maya Beiser x Terry Riley: In C"

Released on Islandia Music Records, the album celebrates the 60th anniversary of the 1964 minimalist work

Cellist and Producer Maya Beiser has released her newest solo album, Maya Beiser x Terry Riley: In C on her Islandia Music Records. Maya captivates audiences worldwide with her original approach to contemporary classical music, reimagining solo cello performances in the mainstream arena which is seen in her newest release.

American composer Terry Riley composed In C in 1964 with an unfixed number of performers. The piece was premiered at the San Francisco Tape Music Center followed by its first recorded release on CBS Records in 1968. In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the work, Maya Beiser recreates the work for solo cello with a series of cello loops along with drumming by Shane Shanahan and Matt Kilmer.

“Terry Riley’s In C is an amalgamation of an ‘open source’ and ‘sacred text,’" shared Maya. "In creating this album, I was interested in finding the serendipitous rhythmic and melodic connections that emerge when reconstructing In C’s 53 melodic cells as a series of cello loops, floating above continuous C string cello drones. The cello’s lowest, most lush string, with its overtones and harmonics, forms the depth and resonance of the album.”

Released on Islandia Music Records — an independent record label founded by Maya Beiser — the album continues her mission to work with avant-garde musicians, visual artists, sound designers, and technology innovators to create a cultural and social impact.

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Listen to In C below

In celebration of the album release, Maya performed In C live at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York, with spatial sound designed specifically for the venue's immersive Meyer Constellation system.

Maya is a United States Artists (USA) Distinguished Fellow in Music and was a Mellon Distinguished Visiting Artist at MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology.