April 2010
15 posts
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Relevant discussion
From eighth blackbird:
Can traditional classical music be reborn and find relevance? And can the modern heirs of that tradition find a wider audience?
Common enough questions these days, but when the querier is a highly respected and enterprising group like 8bb you know the ensuing discussion will be stimulating. I’m actually glad I missed this whole thing last week – the comments added...
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Old sounds, new tricks
The business of music, as practiced by Jack White: ‘The more we try to work on this and perfect it, the worse it gets.’
Click to listen →
Jack White’s Record Label: Old Sounds, New Tricks – mp3
NPR All Things Considered – April 29, 2010
Compelling ideas about the art form in our digital age.
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The dark side of conducting →
I’m conducting Darth Vader’s Imperial March today, but this is its definitive performance.
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Symphonic stormtroopers
Looking for some orchestra with your Star Wars?
The WCFSO can help with that this weekend.
Did I mention we’ll have stormtroopers?
[Images by Stéfan from his galactically quotidian Stormtroopers 365 series, previously linked here]
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Copland speaks
I’m spending the day onstage with the WCFSO today, introducing 4000 elementary school students to the music of Aaron Copland. Our program is designed to offer unique insight into this essential American composer – selections from a variety of his works will alternate with audio of his own thoughts and opinions, including excerpts from this fascinating interview:
Click to play →
Interview...
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Beatumblr
Curating music is a major part of my job but sharing my interest in hip hop remains, with a few exceptions, a hobby. That’s where Tumblr comes in:
The Beats is my collection of recent, rare and unreleased hip hop instrumentals, updated a few times a week. Try out the Streampad bar at the bottom as a playlist for your next gathering.
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GPOYW
Just gave the last [of 27] in-school presentations for the 2009-10 orchestra season EDITION
Also … Fortunate to partner with so many great educators in engaging young people through the arts EDITION
Also … Fellow music directors: This needs to be a central element of your service to the orchestras you lead, and besides what could possibly be a better use of your time? EDITION
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“Choose your corner, pick away at it carefully, intensely and to the best of your...”
– Wise words from one of my aesthetic heroes, Charles Eames, via this week’s recommended Tumblr the impossible cool.
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Wharton One
Introducing Philip Wharton’s new Symphony in full score. I’ll be conducting the first performances of the piece with the WCFSO tonight and tomorrow. Learn more about Philip and his previous work with us leading up to this weekend’s world premiere.
View and interact with Philip’s score
[Download the score as a pdf file.]
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80 more
This week the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, which I direct, celebrates 80 years of orchestral performances in northern Iowa. To mark the occasion we’ll be giving a free concert tomorrow night in the newly-rebuilt Kersenbrock Auditorium at Waterloo West High School, where the orchestra performed for a number of decades prior to the opening of our current venue in 2000. Here is a 1938 shot of...
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For those about to rock, we condemn you →
From an odd exchange on the state of popular music: ‘I appreciate your interest and efforts to promote better music amidst the invasive noise of today.’
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Likes →
Have a look at what’s been catching my attention on Tumblr lately. [Copped the idea to post this from photographer Mareen Fischinger.]
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Technology & Liberal Arts
From an insightful piece about Apple by Neven Mrgan [worth reading in its entirety]:
The best tech commentators … are the ones who couldn’t stop obsessing over art if they wanted to. So when John Gruber goes on about Stanley Kubrick or D.F. Wallace, feel free to tune out, but remember: this is why he sees beyond the spec sheet.
Reminds me why I follow both of these guys – the same...