John Serry’s Night Rhapsody for solo marimba is one of the great early pieces in the contemporary marimba repertoire. While still clearly “Serry-esque”, his new work Groundlines deviates significantly from his masterwork of over 30 years ago. Featuring Dies Irae quotes and Sonata Form,Night Rhapsody features a clear connection to the Romantic Era of wester classical music. That connection seems to be missing entirely from Groundlines leaving us with pure compositional mechanics. Check out the video to formulate some reactions to this new work expertly performed by Ji Hye Jung.
What are your thoughts on Serry’s compositional shift with Groundlines? What are your impressions of the work as a whole?
Opening speeches (notes) are meant to instill inspiration for the coming year but I can say quite honestly that inspiration is encountered every day at BCCM. Instead, this is about how to accomplish what you need to do, maintain your sanity, and reach your potential. (more…)
I still remember the first time I performed Bicksa during my undergrad. At that point in my career, it was largest piece I had ever set up and at first, I hated it. But, after many rehearsals and late nights, I realized what a great piece it was! Bicksa was written by Thom Hasenpflug. I have been fortunate to get to know Thom and his music over the years and I happy to finally spread the news about his new piece, Smoke and Mirrors. The piece was premiered on last week by the Ensemble Schlagwerk Wien, directed by Nebojsa J Zivkovic. This post features the video of the dress rehearsal. If you don’t know Thom’s music, please go to his website and check out his pieces.
Originally posted on DrumChattr on May 13, 2014 by Dave Gerhart.
For most of us in the college ranks, school has started or starts soon. In 2013, Dr. Carolyn Bremer wrote an email that she sent out to the students in the Bob Cole Conservatory. Below is the email she sent out (posted with her permission). Some of it is specific to to the BCCM, but a lot of it is applicable to music students everywhere. Have a great year and please add your thoughts below.
One of the most difficult aspects of life as a music major is managing your time. We put a lot of demands on you in ensembles, academics, lessons, classes outside of music, concert attendance, and learning from your peers. The theme of this little tome is:
It’s All About How You Spend Your Time
Here is a list of suggestions for how to survive school, do well, and be happy. (more…)
It’s August, and that means we’re on the threshold of a brand new school year. For the first time in 22 years, I am going to be walking onto campus as a full-time teacher, rather than a student. Perhaps it was a bit of nostalgia that inspired this post, but I wanted to make a list of fifteen things I’d want a brand new freshmen percussion major to know and hear as they prepare to start school. Some of these are things that I did, and I am thankful for, and others are things that I never thought of, and I’m hoping that you can learn from my mistakes. Even if you’re not a freshmen, hopefully this list can offer some good suggestions of how to make the most of your academic experience! (more…)
