The premiere of my Violin Concerto No 2, “on the brink,” on January 25, was one of the high points of my career. Above all, it was a chance to focus attention on the onrushing climate catastrophe, and the need to find hope and agency in the promise of accelerating technologies and economics. The ClimateMusic Project enabled me to root this work in science, by connecting me with a team of climate scientists. Then too it was an artistic high point to work with soloist Elissa Cassini, truly a great artist of our time, and with my longtime colleague Delta David Gier conducting the South Dakota Symphony. The whole experience was so enriched by the deeply affecting projection design from Camilla Tassi. I’m now talking
Read more →Apparently concerto-writing is habit-forming. Over the past year, I’ve completed both a Violin Concerto (my second, focusing on the climate crisis, and climate despair in particular), and a Piri Concerto (for that traditional Korean double-reed instrument). My soloists are dream collaborators. Elissa Cassini has been my thought partner on the violin concerto, as well as helping me fine-tune the solo part. The amazing gamin has tutored me in finer points of not only the piri, but also the saenghwang (mouth organ, which she’ll play in the second movement), and the taepyongso (a trumpet-like double reed she’ll play in the third movement). Perhaps the best news is that both works have premieres scheduled… more about that soon!
Read more →It has been several months since I completed my Well-Tempered Quarantine – a set of 12 preludes and fugues inspired by JS Bach. And finished making videos of my performances and commentaries on same. Since then I’ve been at work on the admin and fundraising side of several large projects. They all respond to major issues of our day, because what creative artist would not be moved to respond to climate crisis, racial injustice, an epic pandemic loss of life? I hope that at least one will be ready to announce soon!
Read more →Having completed two large works this past summer and fall – an hour-plus music drama, and a half-hour chamber work for strings and percussion – I am back to composing preludes and fugues for my Well-Tempered Quarantine. The first set of six pairs, which have been widely viewed on my YouTube channel, explored six different types of tonality. In my new set, I’m exploring different keyboard textures, and then trying to learn to play the things. I expect to start posting new videos with short introductions soon!
Read more →In June, I completed my set of new preludes and fugues, The Well-Tempered Quarantine. The six pairs are an homage of course to Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. I even performed them, with introductory commentaries, for my YouTube channel. Working at small scale in highly contrapuntal music was an exacting regimen, and a thrilling one. And now, in late summer, I am applying all that refreshed craft to an hour-long work for the stage. I’m writing for a mixed ensemble of ten players, one voice, and dancers. It’s all quite exciting in my mind’s ear and eye – but as yet I’m not announcing the title or scenario. The search for a producing partner is on, and I wouldn’t want to jinx it, especially as companies struggle
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