Studio Class Notes 17 Sept 2010

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Sep 172010
 

Attention! Studio class has moved to room 135, Music Building. Still at 2:30 on Fridays.

Notes:

The third Premieres concert of the semester will be December 7. We would like to work on doing something special with this particular concert to bring in a larger and more diverse audience. Some suggestions:

  • Use special media, collaborating with artists from Art, Theater, or Comm. Arts departments.
  • “24-hour concert” of pieces created in only 24 hours.
  • Writing for a specific ensemble or instrumental studio.
  • Repeating the concert at another venue:
    • RCAH Auditorium
    • SCENE Metrospace
    • Basement 414 in Lansing
  • Use a particular theme. Poetry and music? Dance?
  • Poetry
    • several pieces inspired by the same poem
    • performances of poems with music
    • improvised poems with improvised music

The most popular idea at the moment seems to be the poetry theme. We need to start planning some more specific pieces and collaborations. Let’s do that for the Dec. 7 concert. Phillip will be getting in contact with some slam poets to collaborate with on this concert. Perhaps we can do the film project in the spring?

Going around the room, introducing ourselves and discussing what we’re working on. (I’m not going to take all this down.)

The rest of this semester, we will, among other things, be inviting each member of the composition faculty back to discuss a particular work or current project of theirs. Dr. Lorenz has a premiere of a new work coming up soon for viola and orchestra based on the music of Victor Jara.

Composer Ricky Ian Gordon may be here sometime this semester or next. His visit will be sponsored and organized by the voice/opera department. There will be opportunities for private meetings/lessons. composer/songwriter Heather Maxwell will also be here at some point this semester.

We each signed up for a Monday this semester to post to the blog. Here it is:

Sept:

  • 20: Phillip Sink
  • 27: Jacob Halmich

Oct:

  • 4: Patrick Gullo
  • 11: Kendra Kestner
  • 18: Victor Marquez
  • 25: Matthew Karram

Nov:

  • 1: Seth Burk
  • 8: Tim Patterson
  • 15: Caleb Hugo
  • 22: Brittany Booth
  • 29: Nate Bliton

Dec:

  • 6: David MacDonald
  • 13: Sam Merciers
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Studio Class Notes 10 Sept 10

 class notes  2 Responses »
Sep 102010
 

Welcome back! First studio class of the 2010-2011 academic year.

Dr. Sullivan just got back from a few weeks in Porto, Portugal, where he spent time at Casa da Música. Click that link and visit the site. The architecture of the hall is beautiful. They have several resident ensembles and conductors, as well as three resident composers. One of the three residencies is reserved for a composer under the age of 30. They don’t distinguish between “classical” and “experimental” music, and they are equally interested in jazz and popular music. The new music ensemble is called Remix.

The audience is large and diverse (in precisely the same way such audiences in the US aren’t). There are electronic music games for kids to use and play creatively. As Dr. Sullivan describes it, Casa da Música seems a lot like a community center that has a particularly creative focus. “It really is a center of cultural activity.” People of all ages and interests come together to see, hear, and create.

One of the discussion topics for studio classes this semester will be audience engagement and outreach in new music. New music concert attendance is “pathetic.” Fifteen years ago, Dr. Sullivan claims, he had as many as 80 people coming to new music concerts and participating in subsequent discussions. In contrast to this, participants in Porto were open to experimental creative projects.

How can we be more proactive about growing attendance and participation (and more importantly, engagement) in new music at MSU and in the Lansing area?

Victor Marquez-Barrios is this year’s composition area graduate assistant. Victor would like to find ways to improve the Premiers concerts this year. Not only improving the performances and presentation, but also improving the audience and the audiences general experience. Dates for the semester’s concerts are on the calendar (undergrad composers: Oct. 19, grad: Nov. 9, last concert: Dec. 7, all are at 7:30). Five weeks before the concert, let Victor know you’re interested. One week before, give the complete program info here. We have a third date in the book for December that we can talk about later.

Sam would like people to “Like” the MSU Composition Facebook fan page and for composers to invite their friends to “like” it as well. Dr. Sullivan wants people to feel more comfortable plugging their music and performances thereof. We all agree that advertising for performances must be as creative as the performances themselves.

SCENE&heard continues at (SCENE) Metrospace on Friday, 8 October at 7:30pm. The concert is about rhythm, and will feature music by Steve Reich and Louis Andriessen, as well as traditional music from Africa and the Middle East.

This semester we will create a blogging schedule to encourage traffic to this blog. We will also share research about music of the last ten years.

New show opening tonight at SCENE that includes a piece by Nate. Saturday night is an interesting concert/CD release at SCENE (doors at 7:00, music by 8:00, admission $5). Another cool concert at Mac’s Bar on Michigan Ave. starts around 9ish on Monday night.

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parts of speech

 thoughts and insights  No Responses »
Sep 102010
 

Those of you who know me will not be surprised to find this blog entry about interdisciplinarity. The short film above is very telling about what the general view of interdisciplinarity. You should note that while Word 2010 did NOT recognize “interdisciplinarity” it DID recognize “interdisciplinary” as a word. This is the issue I find myself confronting all the time. Many academic environments tout a strong desire to foster interdisciplinary endeavors; however, success in academic environments is still overwhelmingly based on specialization. Simply put, we can accept the idea as an adjective that describes actions we see (interdisciplinary), but not as an endeavor that stands alone and would benefit from an understanding of the action itself (as a noun – interdisciplinarity). How do we change this? Write blog entries about it and figure out new modes of assessment for interdisciplinary specialists.

Below is a short film that I made as an intro to a new music series I’m involved with at (SCENE) Metrospace (sceneandheard.it). For me, the route to understanding myself and my role as an interdisciplinarian (had to add that one to the Word dictionary as well) is to make pieces that draw on skills I have that cross artistic disciplines and to seek out collaborations with other artist that I respect. To make this film, I invited members of the sceneandheard new music Facebook group to visit my apartment and contribute some content to a short loop-based piece. The resultant intro owes much the Youtube sensation Pomplamoose. I’ve blogged about them before. For your consideration – short_1

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Studio Class Notes 5 Feb 2010

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Feb 052010
 

Upcoming concert: Thursday, Feb. 11, 7:30 at Wharton Center. Wind Symphony will be playing (among other things) Jennifer Higdon’s Oboe Concerto. Please attend if you can to support our colleagues in the band department who support us. Higdon (whom Kevin presented last week) also won a Grammy award last week.

No studio class next week. We will return to the regular meetings on Feb. 19 with a presentation by Mark Sullivan.

The salsa band (including Nate Bliton), Feb. 18 in Hart Recital Hall.

Deadlines are approaching for participation in the Premieres concerts: Feb. 8 – Premilinary deadline for grad students. Feb. 15 – Program information deadline for undergraduates.

Discussion of SCENE&heard: we should all be better “entrepreneurs,” make performance opportunities for ourselves. The performance was successful. [Thanks to all involved and all who attended. -Dave]

Discussion of the DSO readings: it was a great experience for everyone. Thanks to the 5 composers whose works were read for accepting the criticisms in front of the group. Slatkin and the orchestra were quite generous with their time. It was great to have the two composers there. Cindy McTee in particular sent individual comments to the composers.

Corigliano discussion: Corigliano’s music is based on simple, large-scale structures. On a smaller scale, complexity is evident. Large scale dictates the smaller structures. “The oboe concerto, I think is the piece that finally pushed me into another world of composing. From then on, I have used this method of composing. I have made the big decisions first instead of the small ones…to me the idea of the bigger shape being governed by the smaller shape just seems backwards. I have come to realize that what the piece is about is the larger shape, from beginning to end.” In the last movement of the oboe concerto, Corigliano uses a special technique to imitate the sound of the “rheita,” a traditional Middle Eastern double-reed instrument.

Listening:
Corigliano: Oboe Concerto (1975)
perf. Humbert Lucarelli, oboe, with the American Symphony Orchestra, c. Kazuyoshi Akuyama
album: John Corigliano: Poem in October/Oboe Concerto/Three Irish Folk Settings (on Amazon)
[This recording appears to be out of print.]

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Studio Class Notes 22 Jan 2010

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Jan 222010
 

Disclaimer: These are just my notes. It’s possible (probable) that I left some things out or got some things wrong. Feel free to make any additions or corrections in the comments.

Announcements:

We are taking two vans to Detroit on Saturday, Jan 30 for the reading session. Those taking the vans should meet at school at 8:00am that morning. If you want to take the vans, make sure your name is on the list. Email Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Lorenz if you missed the list sent around in class today.

Please set up your composer profile by mid-February.

April 10 will be the Sparta Winds recital featuring MSU composers.

Feb. 4, 7:30pm will be the first Scene&Heard concert at SCENE Metrospace. $3 for students, $5 general public. Future Scene&Heard concerts will involve calls for works. Listen for those in the next few weeks.

Victor Marquez‘s recital will be March 3, 6pm, Hart Recital Hall.

Evan Bushman’s recital will be Feb. 13, 8pm, Hart Recital Hall.

Phillip Sink‘s recital will be March 29, 8pm, Hart Recital Hall.

Discussion: John Corigliano: Symphony No. 1

This is the piece that started Corigliano’s career on it’s current trajectory. He used it to place himself in a context in time and in his musical network. Many Corigliano pieces have been written for a specific occasion, including this one. Symphony no. 1 is was a commission that he nearly turned down. He wrote the piece to honor his friends and others who had died of AIDS. Specifically, he uses the AIDS Quilt as a source of inspiration.

Corigliano grew up around the NY Philharmonic (his father was concertmaster). He understands the medium very well and uses the orchestra to maximum effect.

Listening:
Corigliano:  Symphony No. 1, mvt. I
perf. National Symphony Orchestra, c. Leonard Slatkin
album: Of Rage and Rememberance (on Amazon.com)

By 1988, the President had never spoken the name of the disease. Corigliano was angry about this. Corigliano says he stopped counting the number of friends and acquaintances who had died of AIDS when he reached one hundred. This epic tragedy allowed him to get past his self-conciousness about the symphony as a form.

Daniel Tressel presented a bit about Pierre Jalbert:

Jalbert teaches at Rice. Rice has 7 theory/comp faculty. Grew up in New Hampshire. Bachelors at Oberlin. Ph.D. at University of Pennsylvania under George Crumb. Started teaching at Rice in 1996 (b. 1967). Currently working on a commission for the Emerson String Quartet and another for the piano duo “Quatro Mani.”

Listening:
Jalbert: Trio for violin, cello, and piano (1988), mvt. I
perf. Lincoln Trio
album: Composers in the Loft (on Amazon.com)
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