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A Midway Check-in Mendel’s Newsletter #6 (April 2026) Mardi Gras 2026 has come and gone, and that means that we’re now in the phase of the year where new music in New Orleans is usually the most packed. Add on top of that my own personal projects, and I’m going to be pretty non-stop from now until June, and particularly in the next six weeks. Because of this, I’m pleased to make the following announcement: ?? You’re getting bonus content for two months! ?? Given all of the exciting stuff happening in such a short-time period, expect one or two “sprint” newsletters over the next couple of months – quick social-media-style digests where I can bring you along on my spring journey of events as they happen. As a preview/tease for what’s coming: Reflecting on almost four years as a freelancer In a recent digital exchange with one of my relatives, I was asked the question, “Four years in, does going freelance look like you thought it would?” My impulse answer boiled down to ?. At the time when I quit my full-time job at Tulane in 2022, my goals were broad and open-ended: Write more music Get more of my music played Scale nienteForte’s operations bigger While I probably had some concrete benchmarks at a conscious and subconscious level, I didn’t put a lot of energy into milestones or deliverables. Never did I seriously answer questions like, “where do I want to be in five years?” or try to set hardline goals like, “I want to make $x annually as a freelancer by 2026.” Upon reflection, I think this is a product of the circuitous and wildly unpredictable path my life has taken. In high school, my dream job was to be a band director which led to me majoring in music education. My junior year of undergrad, I discovered new music and switched my major to composition. After completing both an undergrad and masters degree in composition, I ended up going corporate, and what started out as a temp job in data entry quickly turned into a promotion to Business Analyst and then Systems Analyst – all positions that I shockingly really enjoyed. After three years, I almost moved to California to dive deeper into a career in data analytics before abruptly and unexpectedly being pulled back into music education by landing the job at Tulane. Starting out as a drumline instructor, I eventually got promoted to Assistant Director of Bands and had almost full autonomy in running the athletic band program. From the outside, one could view this 20+ year journey as a lesson about persistence – although I went through twists and turns, I eventually reached my long-desired destination of becoming a band director. But while this doesn’t feel 100% wrong, it’s not quite right either because at the time when I was deep in corporate life, I was 100% convinced that my music career was over and that my dream of becoming a band director was dead. In fact, if you had asked me at any point during this journey, “where do you want to be or think you’ll be in five years?”, every single answer at any given point in that timeline would have been wrong. Never mind that that decades long dream that I imagined would be my last career stop turned out, well, not to be. All of this has led me to an understanding that those sorts of questions, while helpful for those who need those hardline long-term goals to find focus in their careers or lives, are not compatible with my mindset. The circuitousness of my career (and life) and the unpredictable and uncertain nature is something that I’ve come to embrace, allowing me to actively adapt to any given situation without settling on one and being open to and seizing on unexpected opportunities when they cross into my line of sight. I’m not navigating my life journey so much towards a destination but a direction, keeping my eyes on the road, but letting metaphorical interesting exits or sudden road closures take me not off course, but a redefining of what is on-course. That said, I think the spirit of that original question “does freelancing look like you thought it would four years later?” can be answered with a slight reframing – “how do you feel about being a freelancer four years later?” And that answer is simple: I feel great. I’ve accomplished so much in ways that I never could have predicted, and in ways that I would not have been able to while still working full-time. And while I am confident that this leg of my journey is far from over and I’ll easily admit that I do have some new broad and open-ended goals, my answer for what I think will happen five years from now remains relatively unchanged: ? For those that made it down this far, thanks so much for reading. And please feel free to reach out and say hello. As always, happy new music making! Support my work! Donate to me directly: Donate to Versipel New Music: View in browser Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*. All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|LIST:DESCRIPTION|**|END:IF|* Our mailing address is: *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS|**|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

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The Spring Sprint Has Begun Mendel’s Newsletter #5 (March 2026) The time period between Mardi Gras (which was middle of February this year) The Spaces Between is being included on a new album! A while back, I wrote a retrospective about how the creation and subsequent success of this percussion quartet transformed my mindset as a composer, particularly in helping me abandon self-inflicted barriers. I’m still amazed at how impactful the work remains five years later and how it continues to reach new milestones, and I am forever grateful to Chris Whyte with the Portland Percussion Group for including it on their upcoming album release. Album cover for Patterns and Form – artwork by Trevor Calabro The album, titled “Patterns and Form”, is being released on February 20th (just after Mardi Gras season!) on New Focus Recordings. You can purchase or preorder it here. I’m stoked that the piece that will not only reach new audiences, but that it will give existing fans of the work the opportunity to stream or buy the recording. I do have a mechanical license for the work, which means that while I don’t earn direct profit from sale of the album itself, I do earn a veeeeeeeeerry small amount of money any time the album is sold physically or digitally and any time that the work is streamed. As always, you can also directly support my work: Donate to me directly! Donate to Versipel New Music! But also, say hello! The coming months are going to include a flurry of activity for me. More than anything else, I value the connections I’m able to make and maintain, so I share this calendar of events (a combination of composition, Versipel New Music, and Rhythm X events that I have a hand in) to encourage you to find me and say hello if our paths happen to intersect. Happy Mardi Gras season, and happy new music making! View in browser Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*. All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|LIST:DESCRIPTION|**|END:IF|* Our mailing address is: *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS|**|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

I’m excited to announce some big news: nienteForte Contemporary Music is merging with Versipel New Music. I’ve been appointed the new Executive Director of Versipel New Music and will still act as an interim Co-Artistic Director for nienteForte. Founding Director of Versipel New Music Kari Besharse will be stepping more fully into her role as Artistic Director, focusing on the Versipel Collective.

The joint effort to make this merger happen has been a few years in the making thanks to the efforts of me and Kari along with Versipel New Music’s Assistant Director Phil Scheussler and nienteForte’s Outreach and Operations Director Stephen Montalvo. The merger represents a recognition that combining our individual efforts into a singular unified entity will better serve our shared mission to celebrate and amplify new music in our region.

I’m grateful to be given this opportunity and have three primary objectives as the new Executive Director of this merged organization: focus, unify, and grow.

1. Focus

One of the strongest motivators for this merger is a desire to bring into sharp focus the roles that Versipel New Music and nienteForte play as New Orleans-based new music entities. nienteForte has established its brand as a new music residency series featuring concerts, masterclasses, and student-reading workshops from world-renowned new music performers and ensembles from across the globe. Versipel New Music has established its brand as a New Orleans-based collective of performers and composers dedicated to concert performances that showcase the best in new music today. We’re steering the events we curated as separate organizations towards these more precise brand definitions under the new unified organization, allowing both the Versipel Collective concerts and the nienteForte residencies to hone in on their strengths and offer more support so we can continue to curate new music in the ways that our community has come to expect.

2. Unify

Collaboration has been a core tenet between Versipel New Music and nienteForte even before we started discussions of merging. This comes from a philosophy we all share that the community we serve is made stronger when we work together. As the new Executive Director, I’m establishing a stronger framework designed to elevate and unify our operations as a single organization. This framework is multifaceted with various pillars that range from big picture goals of better defining our mission and vision to detailed goals of streamlining how we operate including scheduling, communications, and fundraising strategies. Additionally, the Versipel New Music brand will be used to advocate for and support projects from any of the talented individuals within the organization, granting them agency and independence within our roof. Establishing and guiding these pillars will be instrumental in reducing the barriers that interfere with our ability to spend time doing what we want to the most: making new music together.

3. Grow

The cultural vibrancy of New Orleans makes it a natural hub for new music, and Versipel New Music and nienteForte have done a lot to cultivate and foster that local community. But passion for new music in our region is not exclusive to New Orleans. Across the state of Louisiana, there is a network of individuals and organizations that share our love for new music. In the same spirit of collaboration that has driven this merger, we are launching outreach initiatives to create new connections and partnerships throughout the state, welcoming both established and emerging talent into our new music community. The first of these is Batture Contemporary, a Louisiana-focused new music festival that will have its inaugural debut this coming September. This call-for-scores festival will harness and cultivate a larger new music community by bringing composers from across the state to New Orleans to hear their work performed by the Versipel Collective. This, along with other initiatives that we will be rolling out gradually over time, will provide increased access to concert, residency, and festival opportunities, paving the way for a stronger and brighter new music identity not only in New Orleans but across Louisiana.

The Path Forward

The integration of Versipel New Music and nienteForte together opens up new doors and opportunities to fulfill our program goals while retaining the individual autonomies that have made these programs persevere for over a decade. My ultimate directive as the Executive Director is to leverage the strengths of these existing programs while simultaneously establishing new ways for us to engage with our community, cementing a stronger and larger foundation of sustainability and stability. nienteForte will continue bringing world-class new music performers and ensembles to the region for concerts, masterclasses, student readings, and workshops. The Versipel Collective will continue pushing the boundaries of its New Orleans concert programming and will also be an integral part of a new pilot program to engage with composition programs outside of New Orleans. Batture Contemporary will showcase the strongest in new music across our region. I’m excited to turn the page and guide and influence this new chapter in our organization’s history.

Diversity Still Matters

As I move into this new role, I feel it is important to make a statement on behalf of Versipel New Music regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Despite the potential negative impact on federal and state grant funding we may receive due to changes in philosophy and policy around diversity initiatives across the country, we will not be silenced in what we feel is our moral imperative to amplify creative voices from a wide spectrum of communities including those that have been systemically marginalized. Diversity in the arts is a strength, not a handicap, and Versipel New Music stands firm in our commitment to provide a platform for these diverse voices to be heard and given their well-earned spotlight.

Thank you.

Versipel New Music and nienteForte were both independently created to find and bring together individuals that are passionate about new music. Now, over a decade later, the strength and perseverance of both organizations are a direct result of the belief and support of the new music community that has embraced us. As we navigate this exciting new chapter of our unified venture, I wanted to say thank you. While there are still many challenges ahead of us, I am confident that with the continued support of our dedicated community of composers, performers, staff, donors, and fans, Versipel New Music will become a defining new music force in New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the Gulf South.

Happy new music making,

Mendel Lee

Executive Director

Versipel New Music

This was supposed to be relatively simple – I did a search for some New Orleans companies for custom shirts and stickers (I’m making an effort to support local businesses) and found a handful. I decided to start with shirts and explored prices and options for Faux Pas, a company I already had some familiarity with as we used them in the past when I was still working for Tulane Bands. I went to their website and used their mockup to place the nF logo on a blank polo to see what it would look like, and there I discovered a problem.

Recently I’ve shifted my overall brand philosophy to have “short” vs “long” versions of my various brands, and my short brands are designed to be enclosed by circles for almost all social media standards. I’ve come to appreciate the overall simplicity of short logos over long ones and prefer to use them in all sorts of marketing except when i want full banners.

I shifted my own personal “Mendel Lee” brand to its current logo years after I created the one for nF. For my own logo, I decided that the circle aspect of the logo needed further emphasizing which manifested itself as a simple thin white circle.

Granted, on some of my sub brands (Mendel Drums, Mendel Plays), I don’t have a border like this, but there’s reasons for that that are tangential to this post.

The wisdom of creating that real border was made even more clear because of my attempts to put the current nF logo with no real border on a shirt using Faux Pas’s online tools.

Basically, the black part of the logo is supposed to be considered background, and on social media and in print materials it can easily be seen as such, but on a shirt that is itself a background color, the black looks like it’s a part of the brand. No other logo’ed shirt in my memory imprints a background on top of the background of the shirt. It comes off as amateur. The alternative of eliminating the black and having it be just the nF with nothing else looks too bare.

The simple solution is to create a circle that borders the logo and have the background be transparent, similar to how my “M” brand is, but there’s a part of me that is now leaning towards creating something that is circular in shape but stylized, not dissimilar to how tapspace‘s logo, the published of my timpani solo, is stylized. A part of me balks at the idea of the complexity that that will introduce in what I feel is a simple and clean logo – especially because that then creates more complications around how that circular shape is then used in conjunction with the long banner logo – but a stronger part of me feels like it’s a good step towards further elevating the brand, something that has been slowly happening over time.

The addition of that complexity then raises an important question: what color should that shape be?

The true color scheme of the nF logo both in its short and long-form is complicated. The part that is of highest importance is the red F. The color of the “n” (and the “niente -orte” in the long logo) has been white or black as, again, a neutral part of the brand to make the red F stick out more. This is something I leaned on in particular when I was making seasonal print booklets and used that “red capital at a later point in the text” as a centralized theme.

I knew that using a pure red was a bold choice for the branding – red is rarely used for logos for both practical and philosophical reasons, but I deliberately went against the conventional wisdom because I really wanted the F to be a true exclamation point for the brand. That’s also why I wanted the everything else to be a neutral color, to make that exclamation point really stand out, and to not overwhelm the whole brand with all red.

So this creates a clear predicament around adding other design elements to the brand. If I create a stylized circular shape that is red, it could dilute the red of the F in ways that I don’t want – it could even make the white or black “n” in the short logo stand out more. On the flip side, a color associated with a stylized circular shape makes that a part of the brand, so making that black or white shifts it out of the neutral space in a way less amateur but still not too dissimilar to putting the logo on a shirt with a printed black background color.

So where does this leave me?

Two choices:

1: Stylize the circular shape but in a way that is not dominant. Something thin and emphasized towards the right could work, and then the remainder of the logo can still be black or white. If I do it the right way, I might even be able to make it work with the long logo too, although that would be challenging.

2: Introduce for the first time ever a second “true” color to the brand. Something that can act as a more neutral element that still makes the red F stand out, and one that can withstand either a dark or light background.

All of this, in addition to having to redesign the logo from scratch in Affinity Designer since I don’t have access to Adobe CC anymore *and* I don’t have access to the original font I used for the red F anymore because I no longer use Sibelius – has turned this whole “it should be easy to print shirts and stickers” into something much more complicated. We’ll see how it all plays out, but I think that what it could end up doing is making me scrap the t-shirt/polo shirt for now and instead just do a limited number of stickers – I can do a redesign of the logo and everything with it as more marketing/publicity for nF’s landmark 15th anniversary. I may even hire or consult with a graphic designer to help me fine-tune my ideas like I’m some sort of real company or something.

We’ll see.