Combining cello and piano with soprano voice, Synchronous was brought together as a new music trio with Ned Rorem’s Last Poems of Wallace Stevens while studying at Southern Methodist University. Since their initial performance of the song cycle, pianist/composer Jason E. Ballmann, soprano Christie Finn, and cellist Joshua Akira Nakazawa have explored contemporary repertoire for their instrumentation–from the cabaret songs of Seymour Barab to traditional pieces by Leonard Bernstein to new commissions. Recent performances include a trio concert at the Meadows Museum in Dallas, Texas. Synchronous was featured in the LIVEWIRE new music festival in October 2010 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), premiering a new piece by Jason Ballmann as well as performing works by Harrison Birtwistle, Ned Rorem, and Morton Feldman.
Live, Unedited Recording from the Live Wire Festival (30 Oct. 2010): Four Songs to e. e. cummings (Feldman)
Listen to recordings of Synchronous here: The Last Poems of Wallace Stevens (Rorem)