Matthew Aucoin, William Socolof to perform new works at Chatter

The music of Austrian composer Franz Schubert and new works by composer Matthew Aucoin are coming together for a pair of Chatter shows.

“Schubert + Aucoin” will feature Aucoin on piano with the vocals of William Socolof, who will be singing in both German and English.

“Schubert and (Aucoin’s) music together showcases the accessibility and simplicity of classical music that I think maybe sometimes people find unattainable or hard to get into,” Socolof said, “and I think that having a recital with these two halves makes it a really beautiful, intimate and kind of clear through line.”

Aucoin says Schubert’s works may have influenced the newer music, and paired with Socolof’s voice, the two together make a good match.

“I’m not sure yet what form these songs will take, if they’ll be part of an album or a cycle or something,” Aucoin said. “But we’re giving them a spin in this wonderful, intimate environment, and we’re super excited for that.”

Socolof said the music creates a story of memory, longing and searching for fragments of joy in what can sometimes feel like a disjointed world.

David Felber, artistic director at Chatter, said he was all for this mix of old and new music.

“A lot of new music talks to old music in really interesting ways,” Felberg said. “Also, new music oftentimes helps you to hear the old music differently and vice versa.”

He said that Chatter helps create an atmosphere that makes music more accessible.

Socolof said shows like Chatter’s help the community understand that they do not need to be rich, speak German, or have lived abroad to grasp the emotional core of a performance.

Aucoin and Socolof participated in a show together for the first time in the beginning of November in Seattle, as part of “Music for New Bodies.”

“(Socolof is) someone who you would want to hear sing a whole recital, and that is a special kind of skill of communication,” Aucoin said. “It requires a real emotional honesty and emotional vulnerability from a performer.”

Socolof said that he was excited to create and share music with Aucoin and to do so in an intimate setting.

“When you get to be in a room with the performance partner and the music, that’s where it becomes something kind of living,” Socolof said.

Matthew Aucoin, William Socolof to perform new works at Chatter