Biography

K. R. Palka (b. 2001) is an LA-based composer and performer (violin/viola/voice) from Portland, OR, known for being “an eloquent thinker and creator” (PSU Vanguard) whose work is “inquisitive and creative in an unapologetic way” (Oregon ArtsWatch). Palka’s works have been commissioned and performed throughout the United States and Europe by ensembles including Fear No Music, Luna Composition Lab, Opera Omaha, the Eugene Symphony, Hillsboro Symphony, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Great Noise Ensemble, Mivos Quartet, pianist David Friend, and the NYC Chamber Music Co-Op. Palka received a BMI Honorable Mention and Tribeca Emerging Composer honor. Palka has studied with Ryan Francis, Kenji Bunch, and Ellen Reid, and has participated in masterclasses with David Lang, Du Yun, George Lewis, and Gabrielle Herbst. 

This past year, Palka was commissioned by the Mousai Remix string quartet to write process, a piece dialoguing with Ethel Smyth’s “March of the Women” in honor of the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th amendment. In March 2020, Palka’s string quintet, becoming, was premiered with choreography by dancers at the USC Kaufman School of Dance.

Currently, Palka is working on commissions for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Loadbang, and violinist/composer Xenia Gilbert. Palka’s song cycle, Of Place and Presence, was selected by Calliope’s Call for upcoming performances in 2021 (once concerts can be held in-person). Palka attends the USC Thornton School of Music, studying with Andrew Norman, Veronika Krausas, and Ted Hearne.

flock

During the pandemic, I’ve been living in the Adirondack Mountains in northern NY, virtually connected over the internet, and 3,000 miles of physical distance, to my college. While there, I’ve spent time watching the geese—returning in the spring, having goslings, and departing as ice forms over the Oswegatchie River. flock is inspired by my geese observations. In her book, Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown writes, “There is an art to flocking: staying separate enough not to crowd each other, aligned enough to maintain a shared direction, and cohesive enough to always move towards each other.” Likewise, we humans feel this call to gather together. We long to feel held in community with one another, despite the necessary physical distancing. We yearn for connection. As musicians, despite being physically separated, we feel that same urge, longing, to come together to create something larger than our individual selves. flock is my attempt to acknowledge and honor this need.