Stepping Into Radical Individualism in Composition with Annika Socolofsky

And on micro/Maker, one composer discusses the life-changing move that left him listening differently.

Author

Tyler Kline
October 17, 2025

🍃 Loose Leaf Transmissions – Weekly Dispatch

I don’t remember exactly when I first heard Annika Socolofsky’s music, but I do remember being immediately captivated by it. There’s something about her work that feels fearless and deeply human, and it’s been such a joy to keep up with everything she’s made since.

So when I first started music/Maker, Annika was someone I really hoped to talk with. This week’s episode finally brings that conversation to life… and it’s everything I hoped it would be: dynamic, heart-forward, and full of the kind of creative energy that reminds me why I make this show in the first place.

It’s streaming now, so give it a listen – plus, two new micro/Maker episodes with composers Yue Song and James May. More details below!

🎧 New on the Feed

🎙 music/Maker with Tyler Kline

Now streaming: Stepping Into Radical Individualism in Composition with Annika Socolofsky

Photo credit: Xuan Films

Annika’s music erupts from the embodied power of the human voice, moving between orchestral works, folk ballads, and unabashed Dolly Parton covers. Her “feminist rager-lullabies” reclaim lullaby texts for a new queer era, and she’s written for ensembles including Eighth Blackbird, Third Coast Percussion, and the Albany Symphony. She is Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Colorado Boulder.

In this conversation, Annika traces the experiences that shaped her creative life—from discovering composition in high school and witnessing the Silk Road Ensemble’s genre-defying energy, to finding her voice as both composer and singer.

She and Tyler talk about collaboration as resistance to the myth of the “lone genius,” what it means to make “lower-case-c” music with joy and play, and how writing and performing her own work became a space for identity, activism, and emotional honesty. They also discuss her Hardanger d’amore fiddle, her piece Turadh, and the power of vulnerability at the heart of her art.

Annika and her work can be found online at https://www.aksocolofsky.com/

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe now!

🎙 micro/Maker

micro/Maker 043: Experimentation with Purpose (featuring Yue Song)

Yue Song shares how her music begins with feeling and curiosity, balancing tradition and experimentation to keep sound alive.

micro/Maker 044: Learning to Listen Differently (featuring James May)

James May reflects on how a scholarship year in Ireland transformed his creative life, teaching him to trust instinct and expand what music can be.

Episodes are released every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe now!

🔜 Coming Up Soon

Next week on micro/Maker, listen for a pair of episodes that dig into how creative callings can emerge from the most unexpected places:

Graeme Shields shares how the organ – an instrument he once wanted nothing to do with – became central to both his career and artistic identity. He and Tyler talk about finding inspiration in unlikely corners, writing for community, and how creative values can remain steady even as life changes around them.

Vanessa Ague reflects on the moments that led her toward a life in arts criticism – from a childhood viewing of Spirited Away to a high school essay that changed everything – and why she sees criticism as a deeply creative act in its own right.

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Be well, my friends, and more soon!