dontwaitforme

dontwaitforme, Courtney Swain & Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis (2026) 12'18"
suite for metal band & chamber ensemble

dontwaitforme began its life in 2020, when the New York City-based classical composer collective ICEBERG New Music teamed up with indie rock band Bent Knee to create a series of collaborative compositions between members of the two groups. Sensing an affinity for each other’s genre-bending musical styles, Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis and Courtney Swain teamed up and set to work exploring ideas for how such a collaboration could manifest.

That summer, Swain shared a collection of sketches and voice memos made when she began to explore using effects pedals on her voice. One sketch latched onto Stafylakis’s mind immediately; it centered around a haunting, wordless melody sung by Courtney in harmonized voices – at once serene, mysterious, and foreboding, the asymmetrical vocal texture was soon joined by swirling electronic sounds that intensified into a compelling climax. The audio file simply bore the words “don’t wait for me”. That same evening, Harry sent back a new version of that infectious idea, now set to a swelling piano progression and gentle pulsation that introduced a sense of stability while underscoring the original texture’s timelessness. And so the process continued over the ensuing months, a strange new composition growing organically as the two musicians wrote back and forth, both in words and in sound.

That autumn, with a completed score in hand and clear vision in mind, Stafylakis and Swain set forth to produce a definitive recording of the piece, beginning with 7-string guitars, voice, and electronics, and gradually adding myriad sonic layers. The genre-fluid NYC chamber ensemble ShoutHouse – whose own music straddles the lines between contemporary classical, jazz, funk, and hip hop – joined the project, performing the parts written for classical instruments. To realize the most intense, metal-infused segments of the score, Bent Knee drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth came on board to complete the puzzle with a powerful studio performance.

With an intricate production now in hand, the team turned to producer Vince Welch to mix the recording, and finally to Stafylakis’s long-time collaborator Adam Pietrykowski for the final sonic touch in mastering.

Somehow, life (and a global, civilization-altering event) got in the way, and for a time the project sat idle, waiting for the right moment to emerge – and finally, dontwaitforme is ready to see the light of day.

HS & CS

Instrumentation:
Chamber ensemble: flute / piccolo, clarinet / bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano
Rock/metal band: voice, 7-string electric guitar, 5-string electric bass, drum set
Electronics & pre-recorded tracks to be played in sync with live performers

Set list:
I. Self fragmented
II. within vastness sublime
III. Self reflected
IV. with emerging purpose
V. Self determined
VI. with blinding clarity