arrange • compose • conduct
Do you have a someday list of repertoire? I don’t keep as long a list as many conductors I know – most of the time my repertoire choices comes as a response to the needs directly in front of my ensemble, and what I think will be most effective in […]
I like to think about how it was for a thunderstorm to move in before we had radar, weather maps, and other meteorological predictions. Sometimes, it was a complete surprise. Other times, there were signs that you could use to predict. Signs that we might not even know to look […]
Great singers are often gifted mimics. The ability to imitate what you hear, especially if it’s done well enough to win over an audience, is a skill that has direct impact on your performance level. If you can imitate whatever you hear, you can perform anything. And if your ear […]
We Shall Overcome is perhaps the most iconic protest song of all time – a sweet, potent melody and an equally potent lyric that have been used worldwide as a rallying cry, though it’s probably most strongly associated with the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement; Joan Baez famously sang it as […]
The Aces Concert 2020 is at 8pm tonight. It’s the 12th annual and, of course, it’s virtual. I thought it might be instructive to think about the numbers involved in a typical concert and in this year’s edition. Typical run time: 2 hours2020: 23 minutes. Typical number of pieces: 18-202020: […]
In times of upheaval, I lean on touchstones–works of art that have shaped me and the continue to be sources of inspiration, influence, and solace. It might be rereading a favorite novel, a cherished poem, a movie, or (especially often) a favorite album with a good pair of headphones. My […]
In times of upheaval, I lean on touchstones–works of art that have shaped me and the continue to be sources of inspiration, influence, and solace. It might be rereading a favorite novel, a cherished poem, a movie, or (especially often) a favorite album with a good pair of headphones. Mel […]
There are many ways to manage those nerves you feel when you go onstage for a performance. A few examples: Distract (conversation, a game on your phone, a dance party) Mental Checklist (everything you need to do, and when, until you walk onstage) Meditate Mitigate them with a medication like […]
When you’re preparing concert programs, what information should you include? There are four tiers of detail you can consider including. Tier One – Title Only The Surrey With The Fringe On Top Tier Two – Title and Composer The Surrey With The Fringe On Top…………..Richard Rodgers (this is incredibly common) […]
My son made custom Valentines for his classmates – assigning them to a Greek God and sketching a symbol for each. I sat and helped him with inking the drawings – tracing his sketches and then erasing the original pencil. It’s so satisfying to remove all of those rough sketch […]