And So It Begins (from MusicX Musings)

And so it begins, this torture of being fed dessert twice a day. It must not be healthy, you know, desserts twice, cheese three times a day, lots of wine.

But, yes, the Music10 Festival has begun. We arrived yesterday and may have been a bit tired, but we're looking forward to meeting new people and having new music performed.

We could get used to this.

Photos of Day 1 after the jump.

Summer (Blog) Reading

Yes, I made it to Switzerland after a long day of travel (I am totally up and jet lagged right now), and I was able to finish up Accent10 and pack and finish almost everything, except for that "write a piece in 14 days business." Oh well.

Due to my day of travel, I'm catching up on my internet activities (email, fantasy baseball, Facebook, blogging), so instead of writing something novel I thought I'd share a couple more blogs I'll be working on this summer that you should be following. Details after the jump.

Pictures from Accent10

Allen Otte with sandpaper while I am at the organ.

Sangbong Nam with a hemispherical speaker and his Wii motes. I need to figure out how to do that.

Piano Burning Part 4

This is not a picture of a burning piano. Instead, this is a picture of the infamous "Touchdown Jesus" burning down to the ground. A few nights ago, Cincinnati had a monstrous thunderstorm, and Touchdown Jesus was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.

BEFORE

AFTER

Back to burning pianos.

Piano Burning Part 3

Here is Part 3, with performances by Dave McDonnell, Rebecca Danard, Tyler Walker, Sangbong Nam, Benjamin Downs, and Jerod Sommerfeldt. (Side note: For more information about Piano Transplants, click on the link.)

Piano Burning Parts 1 and 2

Videos from Annea Lockwood's Piano Burning are slowly being uploaded. I was going to play some of my counterpoint assignments while this thing was going down, but there were so many popping balloons, so I bailed like a sissy.

Accent10 Day 2

More from Janet Carpenter:

Another busy day at Accent10! Dr. Yim started off the morning by demonstrating various bow control exercises. Ms. Fleezanis gave three more master classes on various repertoire, including the little-known cello sonata by George Crumb. There was also a discussion of new music as an integral part of the continuously evol...ving classical tradition. In the afternoon Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon gave a talk about the compositional process (complete with corresponding cartoons) and played excerpts from his operas. And in the evening we heard a wonderful concert of pieces by the CCM composition faculty. Performers included Accent10 teachers and students, as well as visiting artists.

I think we're all looking forward to a bit more practice time today. (Then again, maybe not!) Most of the day consists of private lessons and chamber coachings. In the afternoon Alan Rafferty will give a master class on sound.

There was also a fantastic new music concert featuring the works from CCM faculty, mainly Mara Helmuth, Joel Hoffman, Miguel Roig-Francolí, Michael Fiday, Douglas Knehans, and guest composer Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. The picture above is me with my laptop, a mixer, and one of the hemispherical speakers from (ccm)2. (This was part of Mara Helmuth's StringPaths.

Accent10 Day 1

June 11, 2010

Accent10 got off to a great start today, with registration and orientation proceeding smoothly. Guest artist Jorja Fleezanis gave three master classes, covering orchestral solos and excerpts as well as contemporary chamber works by Accent10 participants Danny Clay and Josh Whelchel. Recurring topics were bow control, dynamics, and commitment to the meaning behind the music. Although the new music groups had rehearsed for the first time only hours before, they were able to make substantial progress both before and during the class. The Accent10 Orchestra read through Haydn's Drum Roll Symphony, and every member learned the importance of playing piano.

Tastes Like Burning Pianos

Thoughts on Annea Lockwood's Piano Burning (1968 - London):

As part of the performance of this piece, you are allowed to "Play whatever pleases you for as long as you can."

My question to my readers is, what should I play when this piece is being performed? I will take requests. I am also contemplating wearing gloves.

That is all I'm allowed to say at the moment.

¿Qué rápido eres tú?

If you are reading this blog post between 7:30 - 9:30 AM this morning, know that my students and I are sitting in a classroom (with windows, thankfully) dutifully taking a final exam. Or, more like they are taking a final exam, and I am the one inflicting pain. Any empathetic thoughts sent our way would be greatly appreciated, since normal brain function does not exist before 9 AM. I am bringing dark chocolate espresso beans to soften the blow.

Since this quarter is wrapping up (yes, we are almost there, and yes, we are still taking final exams), I thought it would be interesting to enter a competition where I write a piece in 14 days, so I entered the Rapido! competition. (For those who are Spanish-illiterate, rápido means fast. Go figure.)

Recording and Video of Bullet Time

Here's the video and recording of Bullet Time. I tried borrowing a video camera from the library, but then I realized it did not come with a memory stick. So, here's the video from my trusty digital camera.

All Viola, All the Time

If you're in the Cincinnati area, come hear Bullet Time for NINE violas, as performed by the CCM Violas, Vince Lee, conductor. Today, CCM Atrium, 12 PM, FREE. In the meantime, enjoy this video. (Violas FTW!)