So, I’ve been thinking about what I want for my music. In part, I think that’s a product of having less time to spend writing because of having a full time job. Do I want my music played by classical musicians and listened to on WNYC? Do I want teenagers to listen to it and …
Category Archives: Essays
Been a long time since I rock and rolled
Once again, sorry for taking so very long away from the blog. I’m having a bit of a difficult time making progress on my work. My relationship of four years ended recently, and it’s rocked me back a bit in terms of my producivity. But enough of that. I’m still trying to get a good …
Back to Arabian Nights
It’s been a couple months, but it’s felt like forever. I’ve been away from the play since the run at Theatre Hopkins in Baltimore. Now we’re talking about bringing it back with Harbor Opera in the Spring of 2010. That’s in the very early stages, and I’m preparing some songs from the play for further …
Writing on the Train
Now that I’ve got a full-time job, finding time to write music is not the easiest thing. I’m doing a lot of it on the weekends, when I can dedicate large chunks of time to it, but I’m surprised at how much I can get written on the train. When I’m working out harmonies and …
More Summer's Twilight
Sorry to be away for almost a month – I’ve been moving, starting work at Meet The Composer while still looking for full-time work, going to a wedding in Rhode Island, that sort of thing. It always takes me a little while after a move to feel comfortable enough to start writing again, but I …
Back into Midsummer again
So I’m finally back to work on Summer’s Twilight, my one act opera of Midsummer Nights’ Dream. I’ve been away scoring Theatre Hopkins’ Arabian Nights, and Baltimore Shakespeare Festival’s Twelfth Night, and moving twice, and graduating, and doing a job search, but now I’ve got a few days of lull. Just a few, but I’m taking …
No More Catchy Tunes!
I will not write another catchy tune for a long time. Theatre Hopkins’ Arabian Nights is up, and reviewed very nicely by a Baltimore radio station, and the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival’s Twelfth Night is going up on Friday. This is definitely the summer of straight plays, and when actors sing in straight plays, they need …
Still not stopping for sleep or food
Hey team. I’m just checking in again in the middle of my marathon of work. Arabian Nights is finished, and opening a week from Friday. We’ve got a lot of work to do in that time, but luckily the cast is very talented, and very devoted, and I think we’re going to open strong (::knocks …
Don't stop working, ever.
Sorry for the lack of posting, my life’s gotten a bit ridiculous. I’ve been graduating, moving, looking for a proper day job, etc. Now, although I don’t have the time to be doing this, I wanted to post about the part of my being overworked that is the best: the writing music part. I’m coming …
I've got about a week.
I have a week to write whatever I want. Next Friday I’m having a long lunch meeting with my director for Arabian Nights to talk about the specifics of what she wants for the music in the play. After that I’m going to be locked in, writing Arabian Nights all night, every night. For the …
Arabian Nights – round 1
I’m music directing/composing the Theatre Hopkins production of Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of “The Arabian Nights”. The show goes up in the last three weeks of June, and there’s a lot to do. The play has 83 roles, which I’ve broken down into 13 actors, including two who basically only play instruments. Everybody plays instruments, everybody …
'Expanse' done
So, I finished that cello solo. It was strange, after my first pass on it, which lacked rhythms and articulations and dynamics, all I did was add those things, make two held double-stops re-attack, and add a bit to one section that sounded a bit too much like the NBC theme (Eb, C, Ab in …