oh yeah, it's all about me...
 i
am now a denizen of prospect heights, brooklyn and continuing the long journey to
doctor-hood via the City
University of New York. life here is crazy and wonderful, scary and
exhiliarating. i go to school, i teach, i work for
lovely music and interpretations, i even used to play in the subway. i'm enjoying it here far more than
i ever thought i would. |
self-portrait in weblinks:
The Boston Conservatory.
university of massachusetts at amherst
exchange
freiburg,
germany
albert-ludwigs universität
staatliche hochschule für musik.
new england conservatory's continuing ed. division.
larry bell
music 98 festival
tania leon
bernadette speach
robert dick
kyle gann
anti-social music
atlantic center for the arts
thingNY
mohair timewarp
capoeria
| I hate artistic statements. They are such a drag to write. The phrase alone makes me cringe. I think, "just listen to the music and figure it out, okay?!" But the life a budding composer requires the writing of artistic statements. Here's one that is hopelessly informal, but very me. | After far too much unnecessary agonizing about the artistic quality of my artistic statement, I discovered an equation. I like to make things. (From Pom-pom creatures to dinner to pieces of music, I’ve always been a fan of crafts.) + I like people. (Not all of them yet, but I’m definitely outgoing and gregarious.) + I like sounds. (All sorts.) = I like making sounds with people. This is truly the thrust of my work. I’m not as interested in philosophical pontifications as I am in creating musical relationships with other people. The immediacy of getting together with friends and strangers to make sound thrills me. I try to keep my ears and options as open as possible, which has enabled me to enjoy a wide range of music experiences in listening, playing, and composing. I grew up in a household where Rossini, Handel, Beethoven, Jacques Brel, Dolly Parton, Abba, and Peter, Paul, and Mary were all on equal footing and could be found (among others) at any given moment on the turntable. Due to large-motor coordination issues, I couldn’t be the tough jock I thought I wanted to be; I ended up putting that energy into a small obsession with virtuosity. My attraction to complexity and to simple songs for everyone duke it out for supremacy in my music, often resulting in melodically based structures that trip over their two left feet. I aim to put the sounds and ideas that excite me the most into pieces for myself and others to play. |
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