March update and Nightbreak

The bad news is that this post is overdue.

The good news is that I wrote music for at least 30 minutes a day EVERY day in February. I would post my exact stats, but I write this post as I am traveling and left my log behind. At any rate, I am pleased with meeting my goal for February. In the month, I finished writing a new choral piece. So far, I don't have any plans for a performance (yet!), but it feels good to have a second piece completed for 2015. Wouldn't it be great to complete one piece each month? Then, I'd have TWELVE new pieces by the end of the year. I'll make this my "stretch" goal for 2015.

So now I have begun sketching ideas for a wind ensemble. I am thinking it would be fun to write a short suite for wind ensemble. We'll see where my new ideas take me. . . .

And more good news: Just last week I received a package in the mail from Benjamin Locke, the conductor of the Kenyon College Chamber Singers (who are currently on tour--check their schedule here), with their latest CD, which contains a high-quality recording of a piece I composed called Nightbreak. It is a setting of poetry by Adrienne Rich. I'm really grateful for the recording. I share it with you here:

Wrapping up January, and Abnegation for bass clarinet and harp

February is already upon us! In spite of increasing demands at work, I managed to write music for 27 of 31 days in January. I'd love to say I had 31 for 31, but alas, no. Still, I am honoring the idea of GREATER THAN ZERO (thanks, Kate!) so 27 of 31 isn't bad at all. On average, I spent 43.4 minutes per day writing music. Cool! I hit one roadblock--I am so very close to finishing this song cycle, Chansons Innocentes, but I need to finish writing a piano accompaniment for one of the songs, and it isn't going particularly well at all. On the other hand, when I was frustrated with that project, I had been reading some poetry and ended up writing a sketch for a brand new choral piece, and I like it a bunch! Awesome! It's over half written, so I'll probably be wrapping that up in February. In the meantime, I need to write to the copyright holder of the poetry and hope I am able to get permission to use the text!

Since I don't have any recordings of my newest music to share at this time, here is a recording of a live performance of Abnegation from a few years ago. I originally wrote the piece for contrabassoon and harp in 2000, and later arranged it for bass clarinet and harp. Jeanné Inc. published it in 2009. This performance took place at Kenyon College in 2010 (Bob Milnikel, bass clarinet, and Holly Bacon, harp). Enjoy!

Another Ecstatic Opening Out, and the beginning of 2015

The New Year is off to a good start for me. I have worked on my current music project--a song cycle for soprano, clarinet, and piano--every day, and plan to work on it daily until it is finished. And I already have three ideas for new composition projects, but more on those later.

For 2015, to date I have averaged spending 70 minutes per day on the project, which exceeds my daily minimum goal of 30 minutes per day. Things may change as my work schedule picks up, but I am glad to have gotten the New Year off to the right start. And I am committed to writing EVERY DAY of 2015. It helps having already established a daily writing practice with NaMuWriMo back in November!

What's more is that I am regaining my confidence in my own creative abilities, and good things are happening. I recently learned that a piece I'd written for flute, violin, cello, and harp was recently selected for the Locrian Chamber Players' 2015 Season. It is called Another Ecstatic Opening Out, and I wrote it back in 2009 when I was on sabbatical leave at my last job. Here's a recording of the piece performed by a different ensemble in 2010. The piece starts very softly so turn up your volume and be patient for the gradual dynamic increase that takes place over the next nine minutes. Hope you enjoy!