Interchanging Idioms

by Chris McGovern Natalie Zhu, the longtime recital partner of Hilary Hahn is coming back to play with her for a few shows in South America in September this season--That unto itself is a blessing, but even better is that I got to do this interview with her! While she's been away from Hilary, Natalie has keeping busy with her family, continuing to play piano (She has recorded a solo piano CD titled Images which can be purchased online--I highly recommend it!), and becoming involved with The Kingston Chamber Music Festival , of which she is the Artistic Director.

TwtrSymphony's new piece "Birds of Paradise" is now out on video "Birds of Paradise" is the 2nd movement of Symphony No. 2 "Birds of a Feather" performed by TwtrSymphony. Each of the 40+ musicians recorded their part separately from various locations around the world, with Felipe Gonzales and Garry Boyle putting the tracks together in the studio. Sarah Richardson compiled the video from clips sent in by the various musicians. You can download the music here: TwtrSymphony.instantencore.com click here if you want to watch the videos in order.

The closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London gave a celebration of British music, fashion and culture. Yet, none of the music was by a British Classical composer living or dead. This isn't because the organizers don't like classical music. The London Symphony Orchestra played a large role in the creation of the music from recording all the national anthems, playing at both the opening and closing ceremonies. What this shows is classical music, and composers of classical music aren't even thought of, had no relevance when the creators were planning the production. It amazes me that Benjamin Britten, probably the greatest opera composer in the English language (ever) wasn't given a node. Peter Maxell-Davis and Thomas Adès are world wide recognized living composer and yet not mentioned. Film composers like Debbie Wiseman, Patrick Doyle, Craig Armstrong, to name just a few, all went unmentioned. This oversight isn't the death knell of classical music, but it...

The rapid change in technology is creating a new generation of music connesisseurs that think differently than the typical orchestra concert goer. Don Pepper made a great observation in his article " The Reason "Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25 " Struck Such A Nerve" which was a response to this article by Cathryn Sloane. Don's point is that technology is moving so fast it is possible to see innovations that didn't exist for the previous generation making it into the mainstream consciousness. This is having a major impact on how people perceive music consumption. The gramophone record replaced the audio cylinder in 1910 as the most popular form of obtaining audio recordings --just over 100 years ago. Now, 'record' shops that actually carry LP's (long playing records, for those of you too young to remember that term) are like pawn shops, dealing in antiquated artifacts. The digital age of music has ushered in a new era, and ...

Done for the Mini Operas project by English National Opera Synopsis: Humanity lies sleeping as The Sweeper of Dreams enters making his daily rounds to clear away the night’s imaginings. The Sweeper is very thorough and leaves no tatters or smattering of dreams to pollute the waking lives of the humans. He is good at his job but does not enjoy it and has perhaps become a bit careless. One of the dreamers, Promethea, is still deeply involved in her dream of flying and freedom. The Sweeper’s actions rip the dream from her and she plunges towards consciousness screaming. Clinging to the memory of her dream, Promethea argues with the Sweeper. When he remains adamant, she steals back her dream, in the process damaging his broom. No longer will he be able to efficiently remove all of humanity’s dreams. The residue of both dreams and nightmares linger to haunt the waking hours. Promethea by Chip Michael Featuring the voices of: Theodore Sipes - The Sweeper Megan Ihnen - Prometh...

With the explosion of social media and the desire for arts organizations to jump on the band wagon, hiring a social media consultant/expert seems to be the order of the day. How do you know if you're actually hiring an expert? I was reading a blog post the other day from a self-proclaimed orchestra expert. Granted the information this 'expert' writes about in terms of orchestra administration, budgeting, and contract negotiations seems to be spot on. {I'm not an expert in these topics so I have no way to certify if the advice is correct or not.} However, this person also claims to know social media and is quite outspoken at how poorly orchestras are using social media, particularly Twitter. I do understand Social Media, Twitter specifically, and find the advice this expert offers to be wrong in numerous ways. Don't just take my word on what's right and wrong. If you're an arts organization, do some research into the person you want to hire as a consultant. ...

You may have already seen this, but in case you hadn't or just wanted to watch it again!... If you want to download the music to put on your phone or mp3 players go here:      http://www.instantencore.com/RedeemShare.aspx?IEId=5002453 Make sure to share the link with your friends If you'd like to know more about TwtrSymphony visit their website:      TwtrSymphony.InstantEncore.com