New Year - another YouTube performance!

Last year, on Christmas, I received a harsh reminder that this blog was being neglected. The purpose of the reminder was not to inform me about this blog in particular, but blessings happen in mysterious ways, and now I am returning to doing something that I should be doing - writing about music, and my musical experiences. I am not the most popular composer, nor will I ever be. My music is not commercial enough (nor do I want it to be). I do know, however, that my music has provided enjoyment to people, as well as my piano performances. Knowing that I may have provided a speck of happiness to someone who needed it justifies my existence as a musician.

2008 had its ups and downs for everyone. I did not receive many awards or honors to which I applied. Politics stopped my string quartet from being performed at Jordan Hall (the one in the YouTube video). Money stopped me from participating in SICPP and any other music festival for that matter. Time prevented me from composing a wind ensemble piece, a violin concerto, and completing my concerto for piano 4-hands and chamber ensemble - I didn't even begin work on other movements. Time also prevented me from finishing the flute and harp concerto and the arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody for 5 cellos, performances which were practically gauranteed that I squandered. Lastly, time prevented me from finishing Intrepid in time for the orchestral reading. These were downpoints in my musical life.

But pish-posh with the negative. Let's review the year in composition: 1) Revision of "The Soul" (in YouTube video), 2) Collaboration with Osnat Netzer for her Yom Hashoa Haulocaust Remembrance Day concert, which turned out fantastically, 3) Dona Nobis Veritatem: A Setting of American Text, which is definitely one of my most important works to date, viola, soprano, and piano, 4) Intrepid, my first large orchestra piece, which includes soprano, 5) a Revision to the electronic part to Nicht Zart I: Hommage a Stockhausen (another revision will be done in the future), 6) a revision of a reduction of a movement of the Faure quartet in C minor for piano and horn, 7) Scintillation I for flute and marimba, 8) Scintillation II for viola and cello, 9) 3 Groups for fl/picc, ob, cl, a. sx., bsn., hrn, tpt, tmb, perc. (glk/vib), vln, vla I, vla II, vcl, cb, 10) an arrangement of Wade in the Water for elementary string ensemble, 11) Promenade through the Trees, for elementary string ensemble, 12) Instinct, string orchestra, 13) Das Geheimnis, solo celesta, 14) Ohkyanos, for bass cl, tpt/alphrn, perc., vln, vcl, sop., and pno/acc. On top of this, I think I composed 6 or 7 electronic works, and created my first video, which included stop motion animation. Compositionally, two very important things happened: 1) I finally got over my apprehension to compose works for large ensembles, and in fact have garnered a preference for larger ensembles (mainly because of the new notation with which I'm working), and 2) I finally composed a piece with a moderately elaborate percussion setup.

On the "marketing" end of things, some small blessings: 1) I garnered a stronger grasp of webdesign, 2) a movement from Dona Nobis Veritatem was featured on a radio station in Italy, 3) Annabel's group Latin + JJ performed Wade in the Water and Promenade though the Trees VERY SUCCESSFULLY in CA, 4) Chance secured future performances in FL, NH, and CO, 5) I had a masterclass with Michael Daugherty, and 5) I'm finally teaching - filling in that gap on my resume and making me more eligible for securing a job after I graduate. Furthermore, I'm teaching music technology - another advantage. It is a learning process for me, but I am embracing it with open arms.

I should have finished the sax quartet by the end of last year, but I am working on it now! I must return ... have a blessed New Year, everyone! And make sure you change it up!