“[Oropendola] is joining an exciting group of multidisciplinary artists who refuse to adhere to standards of genre or form... [she] cannot be contained to one box or descriptor.”
photo by Elizabeth LoPiccolo
Hi, I’m Joanna Schubert, a Brooklyn-based singer/keyboardist/composer/arranger who makes music under the name Oropendola.
In 2023, I released the maximalist kaleidoscopic chamber pop album I’ve always wanted to make. It’s called Waiting for the Sky to Speak. Every song inhabits its own sonic world and journey, yet somehow they all create a cohesively nonlinear story. It’s been described as “a rich cut-and-paste musical collage,” “on the borders of art and pop,” “wonderfully unshackled," and “expansive.” One of my favorite “reviews” has been the not-irregular post-show comment: “Your music sounds like the inside of my brain.”
WftStS was recorded/mixed/co-produced by dream collaborator Zubin Hensler during the darkest days of the pandemic (made so much brighter by creating this together), and released with the immense help and generosity of Spirit House Records and Wilbur & Moore Records. Approximately 30 friends contributed their time and musical gifts. I’m very proud of this album.
It seeks to confront and understand one’s relationship to stasis, restlessness, love, belonging, and trust, set in surreal, liminal spaces such as construction sites, motels, and cul-de-sacs. “Ultimately, these songs ask one of the soul’s most fundamental questions: how do you find your footing in an impermanent world? There is no absolute answer, and thus… there is no purpose in waiting for one. How liberating it is to break out of our own cycles, to be the force that knocks the pendulum off its axis.” (Nandi Rose)
I created music videos for the first time, with brilliant filmmakers Ben Still, Haisi Hu, and Kim Mayo aka Moonheart.
The release show party was at Littlefield in Brooklyn on April 6th 2023, and featured a 7-piece band of friends on keys, synth, clarinet, flute, 3 part harmonies, cello, flugelhorn, guitar, bass and drums (see video descriptions for all credits).
In Oct 2023 I toured the album around Europe + the UK, using 2 keyboards and a vocal pedal while triggering drum+bass tracks.
Most recently, I've completed a new 7-song EP, a very different collection than WftStS, and I am verrry excited to share it next year. I’ve been gravitating towards: acoustic piano, percussive harp, potentially jarring honesty, more through-composition and improvisation, direct connection, softness and sensuality, and raw live energy.
Here are a couple of live videos of unreleased songs.
I post a lot more unreleased (and exclusive) stuff on Patreon ;)
Patreon is a platform where folks can support artists directly and artists can generate community around their work.
For $5 a month or more, you can help support my creative happenings as I release this new album <3
You will have access to behind-the-scenes studio happenings, unreleased recordings, song doodles & improvisations, poetry, and other things only available on Patreon.
MORE RECORDINGS AND LIVE VIDEOS
DEMOS
IMPROVS
It’s weird, kind of fun, and inevitably incomplete, attempting to present something resembling my full musical self online.
Coming to live shows, being a Patreon supporter, buying merch - I have vinyls, CDs, shirts, and calendars for sale - and sharing the music with your community are really helpful and wonderful ways to support [me and all independent artists].
Thank you for reading this far, thank you for being here :)