I cannot believe that it's already the end of June! My time since the end of classes (early May) has been quite a bit of "hurry up and wait." I decided in March to take some summer classes during the June/July breaks and I'm scheduled for an introductory class in the political science department and another basic course in religion (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism). These are the first non-music courses that I've taken in nearly 7 years! I'm excited, but I know that - in both classes - I'll be the oldest student in the room.
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| Concert @ SAW (photo by Rhonda Rider) |
In addition to coursework, I'm doing a bunch of practicing and exercising! Practice is the norm around here. That's work, but I haven't been a dedicated gym-goer since my first year in Boston. I'm down about ten pounds since the summer began and maybe (MAYBE) I'll be super-fit by the time MEREDITH's wedding rolls around in September.
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| QtP concert @ SAW |
At the end of May, I was in Salem, NY for my fourth summer on the Brown Farm at MUSIC FROM SALEM. The chamber music summer concert series was my first real exposure to new music. Since that fateful week in May 2008, I've spent more time exploring music from the 20th and 21st-centuries than I have with standard repertoire. Some don't like/respect that path, but nobody can argue that I (am lucky to) play a ton of interesting (good and bad) music! Meredith joined us on the farm for one night to perform our Queering the Pitch concert at SALEM ART WORKS. We played in SAW's awesome barn to an incredible audience! My dear friend/colleague/teacher JUDITH GORDON remarked that the barn reminded her a bit of Santa Fe Opera. I loved the image! (judge for yourself at right) As the concert went on, the opening behind us got dark and the mood changed. (just like the music - from Knell to DIORIO)
I learned LAURA KAMINSKY's "The Great Unconformity" while in Salem. I was lucky to learn the piece with my great teacher and mentor Rhonda Rider. Laura's piece was written for Rhonda when she was artist-in-residence at Grand Canyon National Park. The piece is named after and explores one of the Grand Canyon's great geological mysteries, THE GREAT UNCONFORMITY. It's a very powerful work that really speaks to audiences. It will be one of the four pieces that will be on my next Queering the Pitch solo recital.
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| Music piling up - WWRRD?! |
Which brings me to the remainder of the summer! Practicing will be getting real here in July. Music is piling up on my practice desk, but I have some priorities. The first is my re-learning of Schubert's Quintet in C Major. I've played the piece enough times to make learning it again quite easy. The next priority is the solo recital that I'm working on. This will be the third (and final) chapter of the Queering the Pitch recital series. This final iteration will be the most exciting yet! It features a mix of works that I've commissioned (by EMILY COOLEY and STEVEN KNELL), a work that has been recently composed (the piece by Laura Kaminsky), and a substantial piece for solo cello written nearly twenty years ago. That piece, Robert Maggio's 'Winter Toccata (I can't believe you want to die)' is a powerful piece that explores Mr. Maggio's AIDS volunteer work. In short, this recital features two pieces by queer women and two by openly gay men, dealing with philosophical beliefs, a natural wonder of the world, the Mormon faith, and AIDS. It's a very diverse program!
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| My cello, just chillin'! |
The workshopping of QtP3 is the precursor to a March recital tour of the west coast. Cities in California, Oregon, and Washington state will hear the awesome music of Cooley, Kaminsky, Knell, and Maggio. Meredith and I will be in the studio to record the works that we commissioned by DiOrio, Kelly, Knell, and Trinkley, and I'll be recording the solo pieces by Cooley and Knell (Steve Knell being the most prolific of the commissioned composers, it seems).
There are some exciting possibilities on the horizon, as well. Residencies and performances includes concerts with orchestras and choirs (Tchaikovsky and Tavener). We'll see if these pan out! Cross your fingers for graduation in spring of 2013!
The rest of the summer looks great, and I'm excited for the performance season.
Until next time, here's a picture of my puppy, Edgrr, for your enjoyment!
JD
