For years, I've wanted to create something that would capture the sense of helplessness I feel in the face of horrific onscreen images, the kinds of clips that 24-hour news programming seems to specialize in. Over and over I have had the experience of watching something I couldn't bear seeing, powerless to intervene, and it struck me that I was just one of millions observing the same events, … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2016
Nobel Thoughts
Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature this year, and discussions ensued: why him? These discussions are understandable and mostly reasonable, and they are good discussions to have. But at the same time, it’s important to note that these discussions happen every year with every winner, whether it’s Nobel or Pulitzer or any number of lesser known awards. Maybe we should shorten this … [Read more...]
Silent Bond
Unspoken romantic feelings. The absent, or undemonstrative, parent. Kitchen table tales of a like-minded ancestor. All of us have had deep connections to other human beings that are never expressed, yet hold a powerful influence over our thoughts and actions. I’ve just completed a composition called Silent Bond that explores these connections. Two complementary textures occupy the same time … [Read more...]
Music by Women
Saw a very nice concert this past week by the Lumina Duo – oboist Merideth Hite-Estevez and pianist Jani Parsons. The program was all music by women from the 12th century to the present. Great to have a program where the women aren’t presented as token reps for their sex, where the performance is just about them. The performers took the opportunity to tell each composer’s story, and a … [Read more...]
How to stop a nightmare dead in its tracks
Got a flu shot a month ago, which means that the dozen-or-so flu symptoms I’ve been laid out with this week aren’t flu, so hurray for that. The cocktail of fever, wheezing, aches and Nyquil has given me some doozies of nightmares like you might expect from a child first encountering Doctor Who: aliens, exploding planets, etc. Really not the kind of dreaming I’m used to. Then, last … [Read more...]