The awesome Ensemble Pi is performing the latest collaboration between artist William Kentridge and composer Philip Miller at Arts World Financial Center on March 21 and 22 at 8 pm Sounds From the Black Box will feature the world-premiere live performance of Miller’s new compositions for Kentridge’s recent film animations. Joining Ensemble Pi will be the South African vocalist Tshidi Manye (who plays Rafiki in Broadway’s The Lion King) and Miller will also be onstage sampling sound clips to create the audio landscapes that are so integral to his scores. Here’s a two-minute preview clip of one of the films,
Read moreI’ve been happily exploring all the free stuff available on Google Books, including complete runs of out of print magazines like Life. Check out what Igor Stravinsky used to do when he visited his buddy Charles Chaplin in 1937. Of interest, Stravinsky is described primarily as “the famous conductor,” although in all fairness to Life, they mention an upcoming concert in Manhattan where three of his ballet scores will be performed. Charlie and Igor having some laughs
Read moreIn reaction to a roundtable discussion on the subject of copyright on The Hooded Utilitarian blog, NYC composer Jonathan Newman hits several nails squarely on the head: I realize how mercenary this sounds, but how about making art AND money? Ultimately I’m unclear how copyleft (or free culture in general) can maintain my middle class income. As far as I can tell, the current copyright laws are what do that. All that being said, I’m actually a fan of Free. I give away content like crazy on my website…mp3 downloads…score of the pieces as PDFs I released on KDP, etc. I give away CDs,
Read moreOur friends at Chamber Music America would like you to know that the deadline for their Classical Commissioning Program deadline is fast approaching. Applications must be received no later than Friday, April 9, 2010, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. CMA is offering support to U.S.-based classical/contemporary ensembles, presenters and festivals for commissioning American composers to create new chamber works. The program provides funding for the composer’s fee, the ensemble’s rehearsal honorarium, and copying costs. For these purposes, chamber music is defined as music for small ensembles (2–10 musicians) whose members perform one to a part, generally without a conductor. Compositions may
Read moreBesides helping out here at S21, composer Chris Becker has been racking up some excellent interviews at his own blog. One I wanted to share with you is his recent chat with brilliant, hard-to-classify musician Lawrence Sieberth. For the full interview just head to Chris’s blog (where you’ll also find a link to buy the Arkipelago CD, and a list of upcoming Sieberth concerts), but here’s the introduction and a sample: ……………………………………………………….. After moving from New Orleans to New York City, I managed to stay connected to keyboardist/composer Lawrence Sieberth thanks to the Internet and email, keeping him posted on
Read moreTo say that there was a bit of discussion on the announcement that eighth blackbird was going to be hosting their first composition competition would be a gross understatement…let’s say that it did not go unnoticed or unheard. To that point, it seems that such discussions can carry some weight, because eighth blackbird has just announced that the competition has been postponed and will be undergoing a re-work: eighth blackbird announced its new composition competition in early February. The initial response was positive and enthusiastic, but over time aspects of the competition began to attract scrutiny. While some of the
Read moreThe orchestrion is a fairly old instrument, going back to the mid-19th-century. Pat Metheny and the mad scientists at the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots have teamed up to create a 21st century version of an orchestrion. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VymAn8QJNQ[/youtube] I’ve spent the past few days listening to Metheny’s new CD, Orchestrion. If you’ve been following his work for the past few years, it’s no big surprise musically or harmonically: lush diatonic harmonies and sweetly melodic improvisations. What makes this disc so special, though, is his interaction with a robot ensemble, one which is completely controlled or programmed by Metheny. There
Read more“I was meant to be a composer and will be I’m sure. Don’t ask me to try to forget this unpleasant thing and go play football – please.” – by Samuel Barber For some, he’s a guilty pleasure; especially when one reads comments by the big guns (notably Copland) who condemn him with faint praise. But for those of us who want to sing and compose, Sam’s always an inspiration. Here’s his elegant recording of his own “Dover Beach,” for baritone and string quartet. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjPtPmshqIA[/youtube]
Read moreEnsemble Pi is an unusual new-music collective, in that all its concerts have a socially-conscious bent and feature composers whose work seeks to open a dialogue between ideas and music on some of the world’s current and critical issues. The ensemble’s Dancer on a Tightrope will take place at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall on Saturday, March 13 at 8 p.m. Cooper Union is located at 7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue, NYC. Tickets are $15 ($10 for students and seniors). For more information, call (212) 362-4745 or visit their website. We asked for a little background on the
Read moreBack last December the New York Times highlighted the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra. The first link goes to the NYT video of the ensemble, but here’s a nicely quiet work from the actual concert: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBo4JH-CPPM[/youtube] But that’s not quite the earliest reference to this new ‘instrument’ and kind of ensemble. Michigan actually brought their own Mobile Phone Ensemble to last November’s SEAMUS proceedings, and there’s a video of (admittedly much less musical) a group of London tech geeks taking on the theme from Dr. Who much earlier in the year, at the Yahoo Open Hack Day. Not that you need
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