Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Abner.
Hi Caleb, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
At thee age of eight, I taking drum lessons. I had always loved music and writing songs, but this twas the first time I encountered music in a structured environment. About four years later, I switched to guitar and was hooked; picking up the guitar was like learning how to speak. I devoted myself to thee instrument and to writing music. Gradually, I drifted from writing guitar-based music such as blues or punk into something closer to classical music. In college, I was introduced to classical music, which became my new obsession. With time, I grew less interested in classical, and more fascinated by the experimental, which is where I am currently at.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not always been smooth. Rejection and discouragement are old acquaintances of mine. My nature is to experiment, and not every experiment works out. For example, I spent an entire month trying to develop a sound sculpture that created noise by feedback loops driven by changes in temperature. Yet, after weeks of eight hour days, I had to accept that the temperature change was too subtle to be interesting to an audience. This is just one of many, many failures I can claim, but for all my many, many failures, I regret none, nor the time I sunk into them. It is in these failures that I gain the courage and insight to try things out that may eventually lead to success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m an experimental contemporary classical musician. Basically, this means that the musical experiments I perform tend to be best supported by study at academic institutions. This led me to my current institution, the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins, where I am a DMA Candidate in the studio of Felipe Lara.
When people think of me, I believe the first thing that comes to mind is that I’m a weirdo. I can turn literally anything into an instrument, and have no fear in playing that anything on stage and making music with it. I do also play a lot of instruments, including, but not limited to: guitar, electronics, violin, saxophone, percussion, piano, baglamas, and shofar. There are also instruments that I myself have built, such as one that generates sound based on light sensors.
Weirdo experimental-improvised performance stuff isn’t the only thing I do; much of my time is spent writing notated works for other people to play. In these works, I tend to experiment more subtly, by twisting conventions in dialogue with centuries of older musics. My goal in these situations is often to include a convention so stealthily that it goes unnoticed, or to break one so carefully that the rupture is seemless.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice is networking is to stay for the post-concert drinks. The relationships you build with kindred spirits have the power to be just as transformative and beautiful as the art itself, so don’t be afraid to tag along as the group makes its way to the bar after the show.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.calebjabnermusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calibanunmastered/
