In 1996 at the Eastman School of Music two conversations met. I had been talking to my friends about a problem fellow composers faced getting music for large ensembles performed. Either you won an annual, faculty-approved opportunity with the school orchestra, or you pulled together an ad hoc orchestra to perform the piece on a Composers’ Forum, usually with […]
Due to some scheduling conflicts, I recently found myself in the very unusual position of being in the audience at an Alarm Will Sound concert, instead of performing in it. The opportunity to observe the way my colleagues interact with each other, with composers, and with audiences was fascinating, if slightly disorienting. The band was […]
A few weeks ago a former student of mine asked for advice about recording. Her quintet was heading into a professional recording studio for the first time and they were wondering what to expect. My first response was: “Expect to get tired and frustrated!” Upon reflection, I was a little taken aback that my first […]