What does defiant chamber music mean?

The term itself is inspired by the TV show Severance and the Defiant Jazz episode from season 1. (Thanks to whoever wrote that episode and came up with the phrase—it was a great inspiration for us!) Since we began playing together many years ago, we’ve struggled to describe our music. We aren’t a chamber ensemble in the traditional sense, we aren't a jazz combo, and we aren’t really a rock band either...

So let’s break it down.

Common elements of chamber music:

Small groups (often 3-5 members).
One player per part.
Focus on Western classical music and reading notated music.
The music requires performers to be both independent and unified.
Chamber musicians often form deep bonds to each other that are just as important to the success of the group as the playing level of its members.

Why do we identify as defiant chamber music?

Our instrumentation is non-traditional.
While half of us have advanced degrees in Western classical music, that is not our focus in this ensemble.
We write original music.
Most of us have spent a great deal of time playing jazz, rock, punk, funk, etc. and our compositions reflect a multitude of genres—including the influence of Western classical music.
We employ improvisation in many of our original compositions.
We often plug in and play our horns through guitar/bass pedals.

While we do honor many of the common elements of chamber music, we are also expanding on those traditions, moving in new and different directions. At the most basic level, we are a chamber ensemble. We play defiant chamber music.