Catchin' up

It's been a very busy week. Monday afternoon I caught some young composers at the PA Academy of Music in Lancaster - their concert is tomorrow at noon. You can hear my interviews with them and read more about it here on the Composing Thoughts blog.

Tuesday I spoke with Milton Babbitt (pictured here on the left) at Princeton in the morning, then I went to Manhattan and interviewed conductor and composer Jose Serebrier (pictured here on the right). Oh, and I wound up meeting a friend for steaks and drinks in the meat packing district and then heading over to our favorite Irish pub in the village. I took the 3am train to Philly and the 5am train back to Harrisburg.

You can hear a portion of the Serebrier interview on the Composing Thoughts blog here. Both Babbitt and Serebrier will be featured on future Composing Thoughts episodes on WITF.
[pictures by audio guru Casey Houtz]

Free Shostakovich! Free Tibet! Free kittens to good home!

Okay I went a little overboard on the title there, sorry.
I recently discovered Minnesota Public Radio's all things classical blog, Comparing Notes. Brian Newhouse has posted a stellar Shostakovich Cello Sonata as a free download...check it out, and tell 'em John sent ya! Oh, yeah, it's the husband/wife team of David Finckel and Wu Han, the co-directors of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society - performing at http://www.musicatmenlo.org/.

The nature of things

So I've been practicing violin all morning - scales and Vivaldi's Summer from the Four Seasons. I've had two cigars and a pot of coffee with a good breakfast of oatmeal. I'll do some grocery shopping later today, and probably should do some laundry/ironing.
But I wanted to share something that has happened now a few times while practicing out back on the porch: either bees and bugs fly around while playing the Vivaldi, or this morning a bluejay and then a cardinal have stopped by to harmonize with me and the concerto. I absolutely loved the cardinal singing along with the Cuckoo and the Goldfinch. It was really something.
Ah, inspiration - life imitating art, art imitating life.
It's a good morning.
Just chatted with a friend in Las Vegas who will be here in two weeks, and got a call from my folks who are doing quite well. My mom, who suffered a stroke a few years ago has been writing letters to me - I was so happy to get them - and I've now asked to write lots more. In fact, I've thought about blogging them for her - kinda dorky but oh so inspiring - for me at least. Hey, she's my mom.
Okay, back to a few more scales and then lunch - toodles!

Young American Composer

Have you read the latest entry on Dr. Dick's Blog about Jay Greenberg? Check it out.

Two years ago, I was interviewing composer Samuel Adler and asked him about teaching Jay. Listen to an excerpt. [mp3 file]

Such a soprano

Was bummed in many ways to read this article about Sylvia McNair, who is an outstanding musician and a beautiful soul (inside and outside.) Thoughts and good wishes go out to her for a speedy recovery.
Sylvia is a truly remarkable talent, having been a violinist before singing. I had a chance to interview her in Las Vegas, when she was there for a soiree recital. Listen in on part of our conversation [mp3 file] or [real media file]
I hope she'll be performing soon, perhaps in NYC...If so, I'll be there.

Some travel plans

Going to make it out a few times to Las Vegas later this year and next!
First I'll visit to see a concert with Kirsten Agresta, who is finally playing a recital for the LVCMS. It'll be fun and a good time to escape central PA in November.










Next spring, I'll catch the season finale of the Las Vegas Youth Symphony with my friend Chuck Jackson. Again, a great time to catch Vegas before it gets too hot - and April is my birthday month!



Also, I wouldn't miss the farewell concert of my friend and mentor Hal Weller. He's a musical institiution in himself and I can't wait to see him with his orchestra. What will the Las Vegas Philharmonic do with out him? It'll be fun to see him in May - oh, and they'll be martinis, lots of martinis.

new 'site and 'blog

Caught up with a good friend today for breakfast and then an interview. Part of his news was a new website and blog. Check 'em out, Stuart is a real talent. I can't wait to say one of these days, I knew him when...
Also, quite exciting that the content is going to grow and grow on his site, with planned podcasts and videos. Defintely one to watch!

'nother interview

but not just another interview really...John Corigliano was charming and engaging, hosting the interview in his upper west side apartment in NYC. Keep an ear out this fall for his episode of Composing Thoughts on WITF.
Thanks to Casey Houtz who recorded the interview and took our picture together. Casey was also enjoying ogling John Corigliano's Pulitzer, Grammys and Oscar awards.
We had an easy trip there and back, including a quick stop to Big Nicks for pizza - but passed (a first for me!) on Beard Papa's cream puffs.

Great weekend

So Saturday I went to Philadelphia with our engineer Andrew and interviewed Robert Moran. He was a wonderful interview with lots of stories and joined us for lunch afterwards at Monks. There we had good food, great desserts and even more fun conversation.








Today I played at Harris Street United Methodist Church and really enjoyed playing a Handel sonata with their music director Scott. It was arranged by a coworker (and all around good guy) Ted...here we are afterwards (and a bit of caffiene!)

Tomorrow I'm in NYC to talk with John Corigliano, who is one of my heroes and a leading composer of our (and all) time.

So how short is my hair

It's been a week, and if you haven't seen me lately, well, my locks are much shorter!
Tada, in the ol' WITF office in the Music Library...

Goodbye

Quite sad to learn of the passing of Soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf today. She inspired me as a young man, and I always admired her voice. This evening while doing some chores I'll be listening to everything I have of hers on CD and LP.

Attention String Players

Next year, in a beautiful setting: Between the 8th and 15th April, 2007 the island of Malta will be hosting the International String Orchestra Festival.

This is a unique opportunity for talented string players from across the globe to meet in a stimulating and productive environment, attend master classes; lectures; workshops; orchestral training, and give concerts. A line up of professional artists such as Matthias Wollong (Violin), Yuko Inoue (Viola) and Mats Lidström (Violoncello) will be giving individual lectures and master classes.

There will be two daily public concerts as a showcase for students to perform solo works and chamber music. Warm spring evenings will leave ample time to explore the stunning beaches, sample local cuisine and enjoy the vibrant nightlife. During the week there will be a trip to the neighbouring island of Gozo for a concert performance. The Festival will culminate with a gala concert, featuring the string orchestra at The Manoel Theatre, one of Europe’s oldest Baroque concert venues.

The cost of participation is €435 (£300) which covers all tuition fees, accommodation for 7 nights bed and breakfast basis (twin room), and receptions. There are a limited number of bursaries available.
For further information about the Festival and to receive their brochure please contact them via email info@isofestival.com

Sunday Sunday Sunday

Good morning! Thanks to everyone who came out to Hummelstown for the Foodbank fundraiser, a good time was had by all and all were had by the good time. The weather was right and no rain - by the time the sun set, it even cooled down a bit - unfortunately not too much on stage!
Here's a bonus, Monahan's Jig with Hank and I from the middle of the set:
MP3 file

On air today on WITF, then off to a party in Manhattan...

Grab bag

I've been going non-stop since last week, and it keeps up through next week. Always good to be busy - I have just never remembered the summer being quite this busy!

First off - join me Saturday night for a concert in Hummelstown - a benefit for the Foodbank. It's at 7pm and going to be a blast:
Paul and Hank’s Free Concert to Support Hummelstown Food-Bank
Description: Folk, country, rock favorites, and a few surprises with Paul Zavinsky, Hank Imhof and friends
Location: Schaffner Park, Hummelstown
Contact: (717) 566-2555

Also keep an eye out, I just completed my article on "New Music in Central PA" for the American Music Center's New Music Box. Here's a little preview - just some excerpts...check out the completed version here later in August.

The United States has the Department of Homeland Security, so why not a Department of Homeland Sonority? Instead of Air Marshals, the new Department of Homeland Sonority would employ Airwave Marshals to attend local concerts, and report on the modern music scene. Infractions could include sloppy program notes, and of course would include searching for new sounds.
Here in Central PA (no one around here really says Pennsylvania, the colloquial most often used is PA [not “pah”, but the letters, P, A]), the Airwave Marshal would be kept quite busy attending premieres, new music ensembles, chamber series and orchestra concerts. Let’s see what a typical season would be like if you were employed by the Department of Homeland Sonority.
At State College, you can find performances at the Performing Arts Center (http://www.cpa.psu.edu/), including Regina Carter, the Kirov Orchestra as well as Heidi Grant Murphy and Kevin Murphy join the St. Lawrence String Quartet in the world premiere of Songs from the Diaspora by Roberto Sierra. Yes, there is more than Nittany Lion Football and Joe Paterno at Penn State– and the drive is gorgeous along the Juniata River. Stop off at the Red Rabbit along Route 322 in Duncannon for a burger and milk shake, you’ll be glad you did!
Each summer pianist Awadagin Pratt visits Central PA and presents the Next Generation Festival (NGF) (http://www.nextgenerationfestival.org/) with his friends and students. Concerts take place across the region, from Annville to Selinsgrove, based at Millersville University. Last season audiences enjoyed music by Osvaldo Golijov and Dmitri Shostakovich; previously they’ve premiered works by Thomas Kraines and Theodore Shapiro. Artists at NGF vary from the Cypress String Quartet and Rachel Barton Pine to Juliette Kang and Zuill Bailey. Be sure to stick around after concerts for the “talkback” - where we have it on good authority that whoever is the current “chip leader” of their nightly poker games, has to ask or answer in some sort of dare/challenge. The NGF takes place over two weeks each June and future commissions are afoot for upcoming seasons.
If you’re in Annville hearing the Next Generation Festival, or a performance at Lebanon Valley College (another fine Liberal Arts school in the area) stop by MJ’s Coffee Shop and the Annville Theater (http://www.allentheatre.com/). They’ll have good java and often some new music – their jazz series runs October through June each year on the first Thursday of each month, and will often have all sorts of acts in between.
You can always slip away to Philadelphia for the likes of Orchestra 2001 or to Pittsburgh and their fabulous New Music Ensemble under Kevin Noe’s vision, but there are plenty of events to keep an Airwave Marshal active in Central PA. Good luck! Should you accept these venues and values as an Airwave Marshall, this message will self destruct in five, four, three, two, one…

Some helpful pronunciations in Central PA
Lancaster: LANK-kister (not Landcaster)
Lebanon: Leb-nin or Leb-eh-nin (not Leb-uh-non)

John Nasukaluk Clare is a radio broadcast professional, violinist and webmaster of ClassicallyHip.com. Winner of ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award in 2005, he is a member of Phi Beta, the American Music Center and an ordained minister of New Music of Universal Life Church. He moved from Las Vegas to Harrisburg, PA in June of 2005.
Remember, this is a preview and draft, it will be posted here in August.


Tomorrow I'm getting my hair cut and sending to it Locks of Love.

Saturday afternoon I thought there was a wonderful event - turns out the lovely picnic with the Blue Mountain Lotus Society is actually next Saturday the 5th of August, and I can't make it!

Sunday I'm filling in at WITF and then heading to NYC for a chamber music party/going away bash for a good friend - I'll be back in H'burg Monday morning late.

Tuesday I'll meet with some good folks about a chamber music organization about their board.

Oh, I'm getting ready to move to an apartment - a little more managable than the huge house I'm in now.

Rehearsing 4' 33"

Here is Molly and I rehearsing a violin duo version of John Cage's 4 minutes and 33 seconds. (Senza violins completely!)

Self Portrait 2

Here I am near Lake Erie in Cleveland.

Self Portrait

In Cleveland this last weekend:
[in front of the Cleveland Public Library]

Cleveland rocks!

Tomorrow I head out to Cleveland for the Phi Beta convention. I'm inducted as a member on Friday, play at a luncheon Saturday and then accompany a mezzo in Bach's Erbame dich from his St. Matthew Passion that evening. I've also arranged to spend a little more time afterwards so things aren't too rushed - and I can truly focus on practicing and performing, then take in some sights, yeay!
It's at the Hyatt Regency at Arcadia - which looks mondo cool.Here's my program for Saturday afternoon, all solo violin:
Grazyna Bacewicz - Polish Caprice
JS Bach - Partita #2, allemande
Dean K. Roush - Elegy
John Cage - 4'33"
John Clare - Carmen (Electra) Fantasy
John Clare - Seven Deadly Cindys (world premiere)

Pondering thought

A little word problem for all those music/math lovers:

A quixotic broadcaster/violinist leaves on an eastbound train at 7:20 am to NYC, and a beautiful and brilliant doctor/violinist leaves on a southbound train at 12:30pm to NYC...

Outta this world

Charming time in Manhattan...about a year ago I met with my friend Thomas and his wife - it was my first time back to Manhattan in several years (just go back to the archives on the right hand side of this page and look at July and August 2005), and we had gone to the meat packing district: had dinner, drinks and skulked about the village. Sehr spass!
Yesterday I spent the most wonderful time, with drink and appetizers at the Spice Market, a massage, and then the Bodies exhibit. We ended up joking it was all a very tactile day - and all about bodies! ;)
It was with someone special, and the day flew by. The only problem was time - and although it timed out well, I needed to leave at seven for my train. I was very tempted to stay over and get dinner, but there will be many more trips.
Wild what a difference a year makes, I've been blogging almost the the entire time since last July (and amazed I'm over 300 entires) and I can tell you, this was one of the great days in NYC (and oddly enough one of the hottest!) - I can't tell you how excited I am to return. No doubt my exquisite company was a large part of it.
BTW, no snafus this time on the return trip - it was the same pair of conductors for the Keystone and they told me they got back that night about 5:00am - about thirty minutes after the bus dropped us off at the train station, sheesh!

On the banks

Played a great wedding with Paul in Wrightsville. It was right on the Susquehanna River and we had quite a view.
It was very nice, we played just a little before and during the ceremony - with the majority of the gig for the dinner and party afterwards...Songs ranged from Pachelbel's Canon in D to Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues to Iko!Iko! and everything in between. Dinner was a pig roast and it was yummy.
Nice that several folks in between songs talked to us and inquired about us playing for their upcoming event/wedding as well.
We probably would have stayed afterwards a little longer (the bridemaids were dancin' alot!) if I wasn't going to Manhattan later today.

Upcoming

Lots as always happening...I'm playing a wedding tomorrow and I'm in NYC on Sunday. Seeing friends tonight and perhaps a movie. This next week is a killer as I put the final touches on The Seven Deadly Cindys, my new solo violin composition of classical music. It's being premiered in Cleveland on Saturday, July 22nd.
As I asked a coworker this morning, are you ready for the weekend - or is the weekend ready for you? ;)
The picture on the left in this entry is from my Gretna demonstration and preconcert conversation last weekend. I played themes of DSCH, BACH and the four note motif of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony. (the photo is by Michael Murray - thanks!)

Schoenberg Code

Help ban the latest entry of Schoenberg Code!

A beautiful, musical soul

This evening I gave a classical conversation at Gretna Music.

Anna Polonsky was the artist, in a piano recital of mostly Shostakovich and Mozart, with music also by Schumann and Mendlessohn. My talk centered around preludes & fugues - things that Mozart and Shostakovich admired of Bach - complete with musical examples that I played on violin, had the audience sing, and from a cd of examples I compiled.

When I first arrived they were just finishing tuning the piano. Anna was waiting patiently in the audience. I dropped off my violin and briefcase, said hi and made it over to the Jigger Shop for ice cream (it was dinner and energy!)

Anna was praciting when I got back, we did a sound check and we were off. The crowd for the preconcert talk was good, and seemed to enjoy learning a bit about musical form. (They even sang "Row, row, row your boat" as a round for me!)




There were a few questions and a chance to meet some eager WITF listeners - always a great thing to put faces with my audience. Especially nice was to hear positive feedback on Composing Thoughts!

(Everyone agreed I could take their picture for the blog - here's what it looked like from my point of view in front of the stage)

Anna came on stage and took the audience by storm (luckily the storms were musical and not in the form of showers and lightening that had been forecast and which thunder threatened earlier in the evening!)

Her Shostakovich was varied and exciting. Her Mozart was sublime and vivacious. The second half brought more Mozart, with charm and panache, Schumann with intense passion and incredible phrasing, and she ended with maybe my favorite Mendelssohn for the piano, the Rondo capriccioso - setting land speed records for tempo and flair! I'm usually pretty skepitcal of solo piano recitals and of pianists' interpretations - for a "non-keyboard" player myself, I'm very hard on artists - especially to be impressed.

Anna Polonsky's performance blew me away last fall when I first heard her, and she certainly held up my expectations of her musicality with tonight's performance. She is definitely one to watch and to hear - she'll be in Seattle soon and plays Carnegie Hall this fall - I'll be there in NYC and recommend that you hear her whenever she's in your area. She is a soul that is amazingly beautiful as she is musical.

Violinist Interview

Talking with a gentleman
I really enjoyed spending a few minutes with Arnold Steinhardt, longtime first violinist with the Guarneri String Quartet.
Here is our conversation at the PA Academy of Music in Lancaster from mid-June 2006 via three audio files. Enjoy!

Part 1
Arnold talks about teaching [mp3 file]
(about 3 minutes long)

Part 2
Arnold discusses Mozart and Shostakovich [mp3 file]
(about 6 minutes long)
Part 3
Arnold lets us in on his upcoming projects including 2 new cds and a new book! [mp3 file]
(about 2 minutes long)

Something out of a tv show?

So for almost a month, there has been a "Verizon" truck in my neighborhood, parked with orange cones around it and odd looking metal canisters.
It looks like something out of Alias. It wouldn't bother me if say, agent Sydney Bristow was around - but so far - just a wierd looking truck...and never any workers when I pass by to and from the station.
Hmmmmm.

Come on down!

July is just plain busy. I'll post some pictures here soon from the Fourth of July, and even a video of some fireworks too! Tonight I'm at Hershey Park with friends and their family - which we also did a year ago, right after I moved here - looking forward!
I hope you'll join me this Sunday for a concert at Gretna Music - and maybe some ice cream too! I first heard pianist Anna Polonsky last fall (I wrote about it here and here) and was really impressed, so when it was time to choose a concert to give the preconcert discussion, I crossed my fingers and wahlah, I'm on for her concert. There are some preview to notes and musical examples here and here.

I'm also finishing up my new solo violin piece, The Seven Deadly Cindys - the world premiere is July 22nd in Cleveland.
So lots more ahead, and I'll post when I can!

Ban the Schoenberg Code!

The end is near! Please, help in banning the Schoenberg Code, perhaps the greatest travesty of musicillogical parody writing thus far! We want to see Dr. Dick in other adventures and in recital!
Ban the Schoenberg Code!

Happy Fourth and Fifth and other intervals!

So I thought I'd list some of my favorite American composers on this Fourth of July. These folks are very independent and brilliant...

Joan Tower (link)

Alvin Singleton (link)

Walter Mays (link)

George Crumb (link)

Edgar Meyer (link)

Take some time and give a listen to them, you'll be glad you did!

Ebb and flow

A lovely weekend in NYC - and the wonderful waves of sound from Bargemusic. The actual motion of the East River is quite odd to experience with classical music. The effects (and really it wasn't from the martinis and wine!) were felt even afterwards at dinner! I had joked all week about pirates, the barge and the need for motion sickness pills - none needed thank goodness.
The weather was gorgeous, if not a little warm, muggy even. I met tons of Wendy's friends, they were all really sweet and talented. Of course, the music world is quite small and so many connections were made. It was sort of fun, between a "How do YOU know Wendy?" - six degrees of separation and "Wendy, this is your life" or Wendy Anonymous, "Hi, I'm John and I know Wendy." Quite humorous were the seating arrangements, that held 8 chairs for "Werner." Also, the restaurant, named Pete's, was so close - maybe a block away, that we ended up there before the concert, after the concert, and also the next afternoon. A fun task was trying to name complicated, simple or any dish really, after "Pete" (as the menu already had several Pete selections.)
It were many wedding parties present on the dock, and quite interesting to see various poses for pictures (often not poses you would expect) - but the backdrop of the city was stunning nonetheless. As the evening grew later, seeing Manhattan "light up just for you" was most excellent.
The trip back was not so wonderful. A five hour delay (no joking!) from Amtrak with a major problem with the tracks outside of Philadelphia led to a bus ride back to Harrisburg, arriving at 4:30 this morning. Yikes! But I have to say, despite that, it was worth it.

Return to Manhattan

So I'm back to NYC this weekend. A close friend is playing at Bargemusic - Brahms nonetheless! So I'm going to hang out with her, and relax a bit since I will be working next week over the Fourth of July.
Tonight I'm heading over to Lancaster to see a Cuban guitar playing friend - it's been a while since we hung out, and after catching up via email, we decided to meet up after a concert. More updates soon!

Interview Preview

Here's a sample of my interview with Keri-Lynn Wilson. We spoke at the Cafe d'Artistes in Manhattan last Sunday. Future interviews with Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta - stay tuned! And more of this interview to come.
Keri-Lynn speaking about guest conducting [mp3 file]

Mo' Zart examples

Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the Simpson Library in Mechanicsburg to hear "More Zart - a celebration of Mozart & Shostakovich." It was fun and glad you enjoyed finding out about some incredible music. As promised I said I'd post the audio examples online.
Here goes:

Bach: Prelude in C major, Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 [mp3 file]
Bach: Fugue in C minor, Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 [mp3 file]

Bach: Prelude #7 [mp3 file]
Mozart: Prelude #7 [mp3 file]
Bach: Fugue #7 [mp3 file]
Mozart: Fugue #7 [mp3 file]

Liszt: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H (part 1) [mp3 file]
(part 2) [mp3 file]
(part 3) [mp3 file]

Shostakovich: Prelude #13 [mp3 file]
Shostakovich: Fugue #13 [mp3 file]

Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, first movement [mp3 file]
Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, second movement [mp3 file]
Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, third movement [mp3 file]
Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, fourth movement [mp3 file]
Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, fifth movement [mp3 file]
(You can hear the String Orchestra version of the 8th Quartet, Friday June 30th on WITF's Classical Air in the afternoon.)

Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).

Mo' Zart (a classical discussion)

Take a look at my handout for a classical talk this evening in Mechanicsburg: Mo' Zart
It will be a blast, looking at Bach, Mozart and Shostakovich, and a little Liszt for good measure!
Keep an eye out for audio examples quite soon!

Weekend

Friday night Paul and I were joined by another guitarist at St. Thomas Roasters - it was more of a rehearsal than performance - no crowd, but good coffee! And a nice "warm up" for a fundraiser we'll play at the end of July.

Saturday found me drenched by happy in NYC. I started down in the village having an excellent brunch at Shopsins. (I also passed by a place I'll investigate in the near future recommended by my hip hop harpist, Hudson Bar and Books.) Then my friend Stu met up with me and we did some shopping, eating and touring. Quite sobering was the WTC site, and we also popped down to the Statute of Library (I hadn't been that far south in Manhattan for forever!) We headed back to the village and had some drinks with the oh so fun staff at Mr. Denneheys. Tribecca is in our future though - let me know if you have any recommendations for dinner/bars et al.

Sunday we enjoyed bagels on the square in Milford and headed back to the city. While I was waiting for another friend and brunch (again at Shopsins - yum!), I enjoyed an excellent cigar - really the first time all weekend to sit and think. After brunch I interviewed a young conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson at the Cafe d'Artiste. I then made my way to Lincoln Center for another cigar and a bit of relaxation. I caught the subway down to Penn Station and I was on my way back to Harrisburg.

Monday was back to work and a meeting with folks, which turned out lovely. I'm not sure if it will work out, but I've been asked to be on the board of a local music organization. We'll see, but fun people nonetheless. Also sweet to run into Stu's girlfriend, Julia while at Cafe Fresco - sort of bookending my weekend having just seen him! Sadly, Julia is going to WAMC in NY - all the best kiddo!

Ban the code

Act now!

A violinist's violinist

Thursday morning I was very pleased to meet and interview Arnold Steinhardt, longtime first violinist with the Guarneri String Quartet. He's in Central PA playing at the Music Naturally Festival hosted by the PA Academy of Music in Lancaster, PA.
Look for the audio file here shortly. He performed an all Shostakovich program last night in Harrisburg, and appears in an all Mozart concert this evening. Find out more about Music Naturally online: http://www.pamusacad.org/musicnaturally/index.htm.
I heard them rehearse part of the Shostakovich that morning and meet the Newstead Trio - you hear them often on Classical Air. Arnold also knew one of my teachers, Andrzej Grabiec, longtime concertmaster of the Eastern Music Festival - small world, even smaller music world!
Glad to hear there is a new Naxos cd coming out of American Music as well as a new disc on Newport Classics of all the Schubert music for violin and piano (with Seymour Lipkin) this fall. He also mentioned a new book out this fall, about violin (all aspects, from fiddles to musicians and music) - can't wait!

Longest post of the year?

Well, it IS summer solstice. Since things have been so busy I thought I'd finally get a post up since everything has been quite busy since last Saturday...so busy that I even spaced out and didn't watch game 6 or 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, nor did I tape them! Ironically, I did see the last two minutes of last night's NBA final as the bar cheered for the Miami Heat. Oh well, here goes...
Saturday night I was the emcee for the Next Generation Festival at Dickinson College in Carlisle. It was complete with a little John Clare humor where I came out and greeted everyone in German, acting as if it was on my note...I corrected myself, and flipped over the card, and said I was Awadagin Pratt...then got out the real note for the evening - some got it, and the Cypress Quartet noted my "radio voice," which put us on a good start. The concert was entertaining and I was happy to meet lots of folks - even holding the outside door as folks left and hearing lots of pleased audience members. Of note besides meeting the Cypress Quartet, I met Awadagin's mom.
[picture coming soon]
Tom Kraines and Awadagin Pratt

[picture coming soon]
Sunday was a concert at LVC in Annville and a patron reception afterwards. The hall is a converted church that is a performing space and art gallery. I had a chance to interview Abijihit Septgupta - who turns out to be friends and roommate of an old professor of mine from Wichita State at another summer festival - but there were technical problems with the recorder and so it isn't available, doh!
[picture coming soon]
The dinner afterwards was very nice and it was swell meeting donors and patrons of the festival along with all the musicians. The Trio Lunaire, the apprentices, played Mendelssohn's C minor trio quite well.
[picture coming soon]

Monday was another concert, this time at HACC in Harrisburg. I also ended up emcee-ing, and my schtick this time was merely mouthing the words and acting like the microphone was on, then figuring out that the mic wasn't on - well you get the idea - and far more laughs this time...also after intermission some laughs at my "Stay for the talkback, it's kinda like Car Talk and Click and Clack - you know, Stump the Chumps!" The hall was nice and again, it was one of the venues that it was my first time visiting there. A great dinner out followed the concert downtown...where it turns out I have something major in common with the Cypress Quartet - they like Panufnik! Yeay! I made sure they left town with some more Panufnik to consider in their rep...they already play Jennifer Higdon and I'm anxious to introduce them to Walter Mays' music.
Unfortunately, the dinner was late and there was mondo confusion on the bill - we all waited a LONG time to get things sorted out.
[picture coming soon]

Tuesday (last night) was the final concert of this year's festival. I spoke with Awadagin for WITF (you can hear it here at Dr. Dick's blog) and then was able to catch the rest of the concert at Pullo Performing Arts Center. The musicians loved the hall and facilities.
[pictures coming soon]
Afterwards there were many goodbyes and dinner at Cobblestones in downtown York.
[pictures coming soon]

Wednesday I interviewed composer Tina Davidson in her studio (a wonderfully converted church in Marietta, PA) and caught up with her about recent projects. It'll be featured in an upcoming episode of Composing Thoughts this fall.
[picture coming soon]