INTERVIEWS - ARTICLES
Best of the Bay 2025 Editors' Pick: ‘Wendy and Lulu’ by Lou Fancher
https://48hills.org/2025/09/best-of-the-bay-2025-editors-pick-wendy-reid-and-lulu/
KQED-California Report (2-21-2025)
Dynamic Duo: How a Composer and Her Bird Came to Make Beautiful Music Together
Interview with Julia Haney, photos by David Barreda (KQED)
KALW Crosscurrents: Ambient Bird: The Parrot Is Not A Sound Effect (11/13/24)
Interview with Julia Haney
https://www.kalw.org/podcast/crosscurrents/2024-11-13/ambient-bird-book-it
https://www.kalw.org/2024-11-13/ambient-bird
Good Times, Santa Cruz (11/6/202)
Very new, very adventurous sounds from New Music Works -by Christina Waters
https://www.goodtimes.sc/new-music-works-threes-company/
San Francisco Classical Voice: Wendy Reid Taps Into the Ambience of the Natural World (9/19/23)
Interview with Lou Fancher
https://www.sfcv.org/articles/preview/wendy-reid-taps-ambience-natural-world-her-music
East Bay Express: Democratic Bird Song: Violinist Wendy Reid Makes Music with Nature (7/19-25/23)
Interview with Lou Fancher:
https://eastbayexpress.com/democratic-birdsong/
https://treepieces.net/files/1235032/eastbayexpresswendyreid.pdf
*Nature of Music 18 - Other Minds: Wendy Reid The Nature of Music - Other Minds (7-13-23)
Interview with Charles Amirkhanian:
https://treepieces.net/files/1334787/wendy-reid-2023-interview-3.mp3
Berkeley Bird Festival: Winged Wonderment (10/15/23)
Center for New Music : Mills Grist -composers from Mills College talk about their music (11/14/22):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKvnr16XXqg (27:40)
HNU Teacher Feature: Wendy Reid -director Katherine Baird interviews violin instructor/composer Wendy Reid at Holy Names University (3/11/21):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uDFBeuDIg8
San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Composer, Birds make beautiful music together ( 11/9/18)
Interview with Jesse Hamlin
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/oakland-composer-birds-make-beautiful-music-together
San Francisco Chronicle Datebook: Composer, Birds Work in Concert (11/8/18)
Interview with Jesse Hamlin
SFChronicle( newspaper edition)11-8-18
Noisy People: Wendy Reid, the podcast by Tim Perkis 2015 (5/23/15);
https://timperkis.bandcamp.com/track/wendy-reid
San Fransico Classical Voice: Meet Lulu: Parrot Musician and Muse, by Jesse Hamlin (2/18/14):
https://www.sfcv.org/articles/feature/meet-lulu-parrot-musician-and-muse#
BAMM: "Lounging with Lulu" (Voodoo Riffs), Interview with Micah Dubreil (6/9/14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK6yL0OTZWU
Other Minds: “Follow Your Beak: Bird, Bird, and More" (2-26-14):
http://www.treepieces.net/files/followyourbeak.pdf
Other Minds 19 festival pre-concert talk with Charles Amirkhanian and composers, San Francisco Jazz Center (3/1/14):
link to page https://archive.org/details/OMF_2014_03_01_C2
https://archive.org/details/OMF_2014_03_01_C2 (link to page)
Djerassi Institute with Other Minds 19 Festival, interview/talk with Wendy Reid -Charles Amirkhanian, moderator (2/24/14)
San Francisco Bay Guardian podcast, Micah Dubreil (5/27/14)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcasts/running-the-voodoo-down/id8546077970
East Bay Express: "Minding the Frontier of New Music", by Whitney Phaneuf (2/26/14):
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/minding-the-frontier-of-new-music/Content?oid=3848945
San Francisco Bay Guardian: "Synthesizers, saxophones, and one African grey parrot: The Other Minds music festival is a magnet for the avant-garde", Interview by Micah Dubreuil, San Francisco Bay Guardian (2-26-14): *
Women in Creative Music: Wendy Reid Interview by Rachel Unterseher (Fall 1997):
oliverosinterview.pdf
La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne e-Contact! 12.2-interviews: “25 Years of Crack-O'Dawn” (6-5-15)
Interview with Barbara Golden
http://cec.sonus.ca/econtact/12_2/interviews_golden.html
http://cec.sonus.ca/econtact/12_2/interviews_go KPFA: Crack O'Dawn interview, Wendy Reid, June 5, 2015 Hosted by Barbara Golden https://kpfa.org/episode/crack-o-dawn-june-5-2015/
audio MP3 file: cracko-wendy-150605.mp3 KPFA
Air Play/Interviews:
KALW-Other Minds Live! with Liam Herb (Program 755-9/17/23)
KPFA-Airplay/Interviews (1978→2022): Hosted by Marina LaPalma, Charles Amirkhanian, Kris Welch, Jane Heaven, Sarah Cahill, Barbara Golden, and others
KALW (2014) / Music of Other Minds, produced by Richard Friedman
KALX Interview (1991) -hosted by Fred Lomberg-Holm / KALW -hosted by Sarah Cahill
*REVIEWS + Recommendations (excerpts with links)
*48hills Independent San Francisco: Best 0f the Bay 2025 Editor’s Pick: “Wendy Reid and Lulu”: …human and bird on stage often appear to be symbiotically linked; communicating back and forth as if they have arrived from a planet other than Earth, where interspecies linguistic barriers do not exist.….In those moments, Lulu is Reid’s teacher and arguably, a model for all human beings seeking greater connection to the natural world and all sentient beings…Sounds of a creek, wind in the trees, bird calls, squirrels rustling in fallen leaves, and occasional sirens, vehicle engines, or human conversations add spontaneity and vulnerability to the ambiance ….Joined by the highly attuned members of sfSOUND & the bird ensemble, every artist holds a specialized, essential place. -Lou Fancher 9/3/25 https://48hills.org/2025/09/best-of-the-bay-2025-editors-pick-wendy-reid-and-lulu/
*SheyeyeRecords: Wendy Reid, a special violinist/composer who is still active in the solitary line of eco-minimalism, has made the chamber music series "Tree Pieces" performed according to natural laws into her life's work, performing with birds and frogs that resemble musicians. After studying under Terry Riley, Robert Ashley, and other avant-garde artists, she released the first volume of "Tree Pieces" in 1988. Included is "Tree Piece #21 Bird Music," which exchanges with the calls of birds recorded on tape. The percussion that adds an elegant aftertaste to the margins is the extraordinary percussionist William Winant, who is also known for participating in Lou Harrison's creative gamelan ensemble. The Klee-decorated jacket is also wonderful (Ryota, 2025) -translation from Japanese: https://www.sheyeye.com/?pid=98467428
*California Report -KQED: Ambient Bird-Live Oak 2024.."the kids, the dogs, the water, cars whizzing by, wind in the trees — it’s all part of Reid’s composition. It also feels like a celebration of her relationship with Lulu and of the liminal human/bird world that they’ve created together" -Julia Haney https://www.kqed.org/news/12027701/dynamic-duo-how-a-composer-and-her-bird-came-to-make-beautiful-music-together (2-21-2025)
*San Francisco Classical Voice: “Wendy Reid Taps Into the Ambience of the Natural World”: Scores created by composer and violinist Wendy Reid are like scrolls read from the bottom up. Tiny Paul Klee-like arrows represent snippets drawn from listening to Lulu, the African grey parrot Reid lives with and credits as a collaborator and co-composer. But Reid’s connection to the natural world doesn’t end there. In live, outdoor performances of her work, the environment adds layers of organic sounds to what the musicians and the audience are experiencing..infinitely and immediately changeable…audience sounds…part of the equation…kid sounds, dog sounds..a global community of all kinds of people and all kinds of ages…a sonic landscape that brings everyone together. -Lou Fancher (9-19-2023) https://www.sfcv.org/articles/preview/wendy-reid-taps-ambience-natural-world-her-music
*Pro Arts: “Pro Arts has worked with Wendy in the past, exhibiting her visual scores Tree Pieces, as well as presenting her music. She is a totally dedicated composer and visionary… We can obtain accessibility for the Frank Ogawa Plaza forum through the City of Oakland …We look forward to the possibility of being the project partner and truly hope that Wendy is selected for this residency.” -Natalia Mount, Executive Director, Pro Arts, (5-21-2019) Pro Arts ACFsupport
*Ambient Bird 433 performance: That was so incredible-- magical…There are so many arcs of form and process happening- visual and audio-- and the piece works so well outside and especially when sunset happens as it did this time--So much so because of the birds-- they are all so active leading up to sunset and then bam! quiet-- And then the lights turning on-- streetlights and the colored light as it get dark-- so dramatic…I loved hearing the crosswalk, the sirens, the cars-- every little thing is just so intense and also embraced and contained by the form .… it demands (and models) a certain kind of attention from both the performers as well as the audience-- The ensemble provides an anchor and a frame but everyone is asked to include everything at the same time in a really elegant way. -Brenda Hutchinson, sound artist, performer (4-14-2019)
*New Music Buff: "Composers of Northern California, Other Minds 19" - “Tree Piece #55 “lulu variations: Reid’s Tree Pieces are an ongoing set of compositions incorporating nature with live performance. This is not unlike Pauline Oliveros’ work that involves careful listening by musicians within defined parameters of these sounds. Lulu, the parrot improvises, with sparse notes on the violin and muted trumpet…a whimsical experience” -perkutooth, (3-4-14) New Music Buff (3-6-2014)
*East Bay Express: "To Soothe the Savage Beast" - “Wendy Reid’s Tree Piece #21 performed by David Abel, violinist and William Winant, percussion on Friday evening includes a Pacific parrotlet… beginning with sounds of water joined by the bird. On stage next to Winant, surrounded by rows of finger cymbals and half-filled glasses of water, was what looked like a Joseph Beuys sculpture: a pitcher of water, with foam rubber taped to the bottom, with small rocks and tops of salt shakers. Next to it was a pot with a package of dry macaroni, and bits of hardware, objects for Winant to drop into the pitcher... For Abel, this included bouncing the bow on the violin strings, playing harmonics, pizzicato, playing on the bridge ….the bird had obvious presence …bird and performers…a fascinating interplay between randomness and structure in which the bird is the star…with a reverence for nature reflected in each work gave the program a pleasurable coherence.” - Sarah Cahill, East Bay Express (10-26-90), http://www.treepieces.net/files/eastbayexpress1990.jpg
*Sound Choice #16: “Wendy Reid: Tree Pieces LP, four Tree Pieces (#s 34,8,10,21); one piece creates a landscape of performers playing with an ostinato of croaking frogs and is quite arresting: cell-like units of sound growing into seemingly endless phrases; another, a dialogue of sparse and delicate timbres of William Winant’s solo percussion, and the final piece is a 19-minute score of bird-like motifs played with a Pacific Parrotlet. This whole record mirrors Reid’s professionalism, substantiates her deserved recognition, and succeeds in her objective to “reflect nature’s manner of operation”-Jack Jordan, Sound Choice No.16 (Winter, 1991), http://www.treepieces.net/files/treepiecereview-2.jpg
*Sound Choice #13: "Ace percussionist William Winant finds himself surrounded by frogs, birds, and humans with the Fibonacci series providing much of the structure. "..Reid's sharp ear for timbre and pace..sounds like Feldman, Messiaen and Malcolm Goldstein accompanying the bizarre chirps of a Pacific Parrotlet" (Tree Pieces LP/CD review) Sound Choice #13, winter 1990 - Fred Lomberg-Holm
*Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio: Japan tour-reviews
*San Francisco Chronicle: "Players End Series on High Note” -“One piece of musical herpetology on the program provided a relief..Tree Piece #34 has oboist William Banovetz and percussionist William Winant skillfully imitating, reflecting and otherwise interacting with sounds of a frog until both instruments assume something like frogness. With the design influenced by the Fibonacci series, there is an allegory to be inferred about music being reduced to a naturalistic state” - Robert Commanday, San Francisco Chronicle (5-9-91) http://www.treepieces.net/files/sfreview9101.jpg,
*Sound Choice: “Tree Pieces CD”-“ Ace percussionist William Winant finds himself surrounded by frogs, birds, and humans with the Fibonacci series providing much of the structure. Reid’s sharp ear for timbre and pacing keeps these four compositions following the austere path of musical intrigue. Tree Piece #21, which sounds like Feldman, Messiaen, and Malcolm Goldstein accompanying the bizarre chirps of a Pacific Parrotlet insists on being heard over and over.” -Fred Lomberg-Holm, Sound Choice No.13 (Winter, 1990), http://www.treepieces.net/files/treepiecereview-1.jpg,
*San Francisco Chronicle: "Music Goes Round but Comes out Obscure” - “A tremulous nervous bowing of a violin..vocal grunts and occasional words..sound of breaking glass..noise of a bunch of junk falling on the floor…These were only some of the ingredients of last night’s program, The Music of Wendy Reid at the New Performance Gallery. It’s evocative writing, partly irritating, partly, soothing, rarely at rest.” -Scott Beach, San Francisco Chronicle (5-30-84) http://www.treepieces.net/files/sfchroniclereview84bw.jpg
*Oakland Tribune: “Unusual Music” - “Saturday night brought new music of a very different kind to the On Broadway in San Francisco where ‘Marvelous Unusual Sounds in Concert’ (M.U.S.I.C.) was in its second night, “Wendy Reid’s Tree Piece #14 was more interesting…using widely separated piano, violin, and percussion with occasional spoken words.” -Charles Shere, Oakland Tribune (12-6-82) http://www.treepieces.net/files/oaklandtribunereview82bw.jpg
Recommendation, Terry Riley: “I am very happy to recommend to you Wendy Reid. During the 10 years that I taught composition at Mills College, I encountered no finer composer in my classes. She is original and has great insight in realizing her forms. Her settings for Paul Klee drawings particularly impressed me, Each one of her realizations expressed with parallel brilliance Klee’s unique statements…I consider her one of the most important composers of her generation." -Terry Riley ( ASCAP grant recommendation) Letters of recommendation,Terry Riley, Don Linsdale-Oakland Museum, Natalia Ivanova-Pro Arts, etc can be found a these links: Recommendation-TerryRiley for Wendy Reid / Pro Arts ACFsupport
Recommendation, Natalia Mount: “Pro Arts has worked with Wendy in the past, exhibiting her visual scores Tree Pieces, as well as presenting her music. She is a totally dedicated composer and visionary… We can obtain accessibility for the Frank Ogawa Plaza forum through the City of Oakland …We look forward to the possibility of being the project partner and truly hope that Wendy is selected for this residency.” -Natalia Mount, Executive Director, Pro Arts, Pro Arts ACFsupport
Recommendation, Don Linsdale, Director of Natural Siences, Oakland Museum: Oakland Museum Recommendation (Don Linsdale)
