sounds from the gray goo 2.11 goes acoustic!

Here is the video of the acoustic version of "Sounds from the Gray Goo 2.11" from the Phi Mu Alpha recital on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. With James Pytko, Aaron Shemas, Jeffrey Carwile, Matt Reeses Dykeman, Elisha Willinger, and Keenan Larsen. Video by Austin Murphy.

flight 710 orchestra reading part 2

Here is part 2 of the "Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas" reading conducted by Chia-Hsuan Lin. The video is approximately 8.5 minutes long. My favorite part is at 4:09; the orchestration to that section turned out better than I thought.

flight 710 orchestra reading part 1

As promised, here's the reading for the orchestra version of "Flight 710 to Cabo San Lucas," conducted by Chia-Hsuan Lin. The video is approximately 10 minutes long. (And I did cut out the introduction where you can see me waving from beneath the stage.) Part 2 will come soon.

explanation of composer FAIL #21 part 1

Here is something that you rarely get when you receive a rejection letter: an explanation.

I had the offer to talk to the head of the CCM Thesis Committee and ask why my proposal to complete a few opera scenes this summer. This does not solve the immediate question of how on earth I am going to support myself and others without a stipend during the summer, but maybe I can figure out what the CCM Thesis Committee is looking for in a proposal?

They had a problem with my explanation of my Research Strategy or Plan. Here's what I wrote.

there's a toy piano in my office

There's a toy piano in my office. It's next to the toy glockenspiel.

This is also on loan.

composer FAIL #26

Here is the latest:

Sam Adams? That's almost not fair.

But hey, I passed the theory qualifying exam! Now I only need to take the history qualifying exam, a French readings exam, a written comprehensive exam, an oral exam, and produce another recital!

Sigh.

The recital is coming. April 14. Be there if you can. More details soon.

there's a glock in my office

There's a toy glockenspiel in my office. Be jealous.

(Toy glockenspiel courtesy of the wannabe composer/percussionist.)

composer FAIL #25 (about time)

I have been waiting for this rejection letter for a while now. Remember this?

Have you wondered how eighth blackbird selected their winners? Or, more importantly, how did they go through all 501 submissions? I have these hypotheses.

composer FAIL #24

I've been needing to clear my inbox.

twitter is the platform of revolution

Last Tuesday I was hanging with a couple of percussionists/wannabe composer at Rohs Street Cafe when my dinky cell phone kept beeping due to amazing Twitter updates. And by amazing, I mean these Twitter updates were an Epic of Epicocity. Here's the conversation between me, @DJ_Moderne, @dasmooke, and @w_interrobang.

composer FAIL #23

Here it is. The last in a series of three. (Of course, two more came in since then.) This one is so big, I must tell you the backstory.

Back in November, I mentioned that something like this came in the mail as discreetly as possible.

Holy crap, dude, the American Academy of Arts and Letters allowed me to apply for one of their awards?! I felt exactly like this:

your first tape recorder

Do you remember your first tape recorder? Or better yet, have you rediscovered it and posted a video of it on YouTube?

I'm researching children's tape players/recorders for a piece of mine, and I accidentally found videos of these tape recorders online.

Or check out this one:

composer FAIL #22

Ahh...they're starting to pile up, aren't they? I want to preface this composer FAIL by saying that this one didn't hurt so badly. So what if my stomach got ripped apart? So what if my guts are on the floor? And, who cares if I'm bludgeoned to death with my own flesh? You're laughing, right? You're laughing with me?

Here is the latest: