Genre Fusion: Mike Mills and Robert McDuffie Continue the Dialogue Between Rock and Classical Music

Projects that deliberately blur the lines between classical music, rock energy, and cinematic soundscapes continue to emerge, challenging established genre conventions. A recent highlight of this trend was the collaboration between R.E.M.'s Mike Mills and violinist Robert McDuffie, who once again brought together the raw power of a rock band setup with the nuanced expressiveness of a string orchestra.

The duo premiered Mills’ composition, Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra. This performance featured the Macon-Mercer Orchestra, conducted by Peter Unjain. Significantly, the evening’s program also included Brahms' First Symphony. This juxtaposition served to underscore the core mission of their joint endeavor: making academic music feel more accessible and vibrant for a broader audience.

A Year of Milestones for Both Musicians

The year 2025 proved to be exceptionally busy for both Mills and McDuffie. At the beginning of the year, Mills participated in the charity release of Radio Free Europe 2025 alongside Michael Stipe, offering fresh interpretations of their earlier catalog material.

Robert McDuffie, celebrating several significant career anniversaries in 2025, maintained a robust international schedule. His activities included:

• Performing Philip Glass’s Second Violin Concerto in Tokyo,

McDuffie, an Emmy Award recipient from 2023, has long been recognized as an emblem of artistic synthesis. He has performed Glass's Second Concerto well over a hundred times globally and consistently pushes the boundaries separating classical tradition from contemporary musical expression.

A New Voice Emerges: Zvezdan Ružić’s ‘A Storm in a Teacup’

In a parallel development, Croatian pianist and composer Zvezdan Ružić is preparing his orchestral film project, A Storm in a Teacup, for its stage debut. This work represents a fresh contribution to the landscape of genre-blending composition.

The official premiere is scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb. The piece has already garnered positive initial reactions following its open showing in Opatija during the summer of 2025.

Ružić, regarded as one of the most compelling contemporary voices in Croatian instrumental music, characterizes his creation as a quest for “truth, imperfection, and raw emotion”—a direct counterpoint to the perceived sterility of digital production.

Studio Craftsmanship Behind the Sound

The creation of this ambitious album involved meticulous studio work, encompassing nearly a thousand individual tracks. The recording process utilized analog mixing at London’s Wetpoint Studios, overseen by engineer Doca Kaintner, who has previously worked with major artists like Adele and Paul McCartney.

The final touches were applied through mastering at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, handled by Robert Vosgien, known for his work with groups such as Queen and Iron Maiden. Ružić offered a concise summary of the listening experience:

“This is music that you don’t just listen to. You live it.”