Pictures from Sonic X Part II

Issues with Recordings

I don't know what's up with my version of iWeb, but I noticed the other day my MP3 files were not working. This is not good at all.

Normally this is how I share my sounds.

1. Create MP3.
2. Upload MP3 to a secret page on my website that stores the MP3 files. (Yes, this is no longer secret, but I'm linking the site because maybe someone out there can figure out what the heck is going on.)
3. Copy the link to the MP3 file to this embedded MP3 player object. Lately I've been using the Google MP3 Player, but I noticed it disappeared yesterday afternoon. So I tried the Quicktime player. This worked up to a certain point.

Pictures from the IUPUI Intermedia Festival

This does not include pictures from my first trip to Waffle House.

Flight to Music10 Purchased

I finally booked my flight from CVG to GVA for Music10. I thought about flying into FRA, but prices ended up being the same. Fortunately we spent a little under $1300. We will spend an extra day in Geneva, but there are youth hostels available.

This wasn't without hassle. My friend Rebecca and I thought we found our perfect itinerary on expedia.com only to find out that the returning flight we wanted was no longer available. (We discovered this after talking to an expedia.com agent. Grrr...)

Anyway, the flights are booked. My only worry is that we have to catch a 7:30 AM flight out of GVA on Monday morning (July 5).

Also, this will be the first time I am celebrating Independence Day outside of the States. Sad.

Next attempt: flight to OMA! Still on the fence about booking my ticket there too.

Yes, I Know These Aren't Ninjas

Recording of 88 Exploding Ninjas with Rebeccah Parker Downs, cello and Benjamin Downs, piano.

Pictures from Sonic X Part I

Pictures of L2Ork

Pictures from View from the Edge

Bard Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Bard trip. And, by "some pictures," I mean three.

Upcoming Concerts

(Kitteh Komposer)

The last few days have been a little crazy (CCM library sale, performance at Bard, lunch/hang out with Joan Tower, almost missed flight from ALB, IKEA, eighth blackbird in Columbus, first trip to White Castle), but I thought I'd let you guys know about my upcoming concerts. (I will be blogging about my weekend this week. If I have time.)

Today, April 19: View from the Edge (Performance of 88 Exploding Ninjas, which references Kill Bill Vol. 1, not 88 keys on the piano. If you come, there will be a Qdoba nacho bar. I am not making this up.)
Tomorrow, April 20: Sonic Explorations (first official performance of Sounds from the Grey Goo II with Rebecca Danard, bass clarinet)
Wednesday & Thursday, April 21 & 22: LA Dodgers @ Cincinnati Reds. (Okay, these are not performances, but you know that I'll be at Great American Ballpark.)
Weekend: (ccm)2 improv performance at the IUPUI Intermedia Festival (I will be using the Max patch from Sounds of the Gray Goo I).

Listening to a Piece Two Years Later

If you're in the Red Hook, NY area, come hear the Bard Orchestra perform tonight (8 PM) at the Sosnoff Theater in the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free, so you know you want to go.

Here's a blurb about the concert:

Under the direction of conductor Nathan Madsen, the program features guest pianist Manon Hutton-DeWys performing Joan Tower’s Piano Concerto, (Homage to Beethoven), (1985). Other works to be performed include Jennifer Jolley’s “All Grief Empty, the Clear Night Passe Passes” (2008); Ernst Bloch’s Concerto Grosso for Piano and Strings (1925); Silvestre Revultas’s, Ocho por Radio (1933); and Ruth Crawford Seeger’s Music for Small Orchestra (1926). The program is sponsored by the Bard Music Program. For more information, contact Greg Armbruster, garmbrus@bard.edu, 845-758-7091.

(Note to self: Nix the long titles, or else you run the risk of someone misspelling it. Also, I have no idea why my title is in quotes, but there it is.)

An Ecole for DJs and Kitteh haz Theremin

As mentioned in the WSJ this morning, the French have a school for DJs.



Also, this kitteh plays with a theremin.

Jennifer Higdon Pulitzer Update

Update on yesterday's post: Jennifer Higdon is on her way to earning the GGOP (Grawemeyer, Grammy, Oscar, and Pulitzer). Thanks to John Mackey for the suggestion.

(That's some serious bling.)

More links:

Heritage High grad, classical composer Jennifer Higdon wins Pulitzer Prize
Indy is lucky for Pulitzer-winning composer
Google News Links

Jennifer Higdon EGOTing

For those who do not know what I'm talking about, Jennifer Higdon was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto. Didn't she just win a Grammy?

For those who REALLY don't know what I'm talking about, check this out.

Multiple Violas, Multiple Versions

I told one of my professors the other day that I converted my piece for 9 violins into a piece for 9 VIOLAS. He seemed pretty dismayed about this recent turn of events. "Why did you do it?" he asked. I told him I was having lunch one day and a whole bunch of violists were sitting at the table next to me. When they heard that I was working on a piece for 9 violins, they were like, "Why are you writing a piece for 9 violins? LAME. If you change it to 9 violas, we will TOTALLY play it."

DONE. I was promised a potential performance in May, and I'm pretty happy about the piece.

Anyway, back to the original conversation:

Accent10 Composition Seminar with Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon!

Yes, you should be excited. I am coordinating this composition seminar, so if you have any questions, let me know.

Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Accent10 Composition Seminar

Accent10 (June 11-16, 2010) is a chamber music and new music festival in which participants have the opportunity to perform alongside outstanding artist-faculty. This year, college age composers will have a fantastic opportunity to participate in master classes with guest composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon (http://www.zohnmuldoon.com/). The festival also includes a new music faculty concert on Saturday, June 12, at 8 PM.

Composer FAIL #5

This one was bound to happen.

This was the last year I could enter because my birthday is so freaking early in the year. Oh well. At this rate I'm wondering why I don't win competitions; I wonder if it's worth it anymore. Anyway, congrats to those who won the award! I know some of these guys.

Lukas Ligeti at the CAC

This was one of the best weekends I had in a while. The weather in Cincinnati was fantastic (not overcast), and I was able to see Lukas Ligeti for the first time. (Also, I splurged on a Cincinnati Contemporary Art Museum (CAC) annual pass, but that's for another post.)

I first read about Lukas Ligeti in this New York Times article, which mentioned his background in percussion and composition AND how he was influenced by African music. Translation: he seemed like a pretty cool dude.