David Lang says composers are managers of energy, which I think also applied to performers. It’s refreshing to think about music-making in terms of energy management, because it makes us mindful that the whole experience of the concert is a performance. Musicians should therefore pay attention to how they perform every part of the concert, even when they aren’t making a sound.
http://youtu.be/F1mYsiN1QiY
Here is a little bit of a new piece that I’m writing for Brass Quintet. It will be premiered on March 31st by Gaudete Brass Quintet at Kmang Kmang’s CD release party in Chicago at the Painted Door – 1505 W Chicago Ave.
It’s gonna be EPIC!!
The video cuts out at the end, but you get the idea. Also let me know what you think, still don’t have a title for it yet!
The New York Philharmonic incident in which a cell phone alarm halted a Mahler performance says something about the complications of concert-hall etiquette.
Conventional performance spaces for classical music can be great, but they come with a lot of cultural baggage that can get in the way of developing new audiences.
Program notes aren’t worth the distraction. They take away from the experience of hearing and seeing music live. Use the web instead.
http://youtu.be/AV0L-8eOx5o
This is a piece that I wrote for Katrina Mena and Keith Rick. Katrina is the singer of my old band Beijinhos (“Little Kisses” in Portuguese), and they recently married. I wrote this song for them and played it at their wedding, but I think it could be developed more, perhaps with the band. Enjoy!
As symphony orchestras retool, old music should be balanced with new music.
http://youtu.be/zU8KIQsd8sU
In this video, I am talking about the tasks that I go through after having a show.
