Every year, we have our composition students do focused study of the works of a living composer, then Skype with that composer to discuss the music. This year, one of the composers we focused on was Chen Yi, and we met with her this past week. Chen Yi is a fantastic subject for young American composers to study because her life experiences are dramatically distant from theirs, and that … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2016
Singing artists
When did singers and songwriters first start getting lumped under the moniker “artists?” I think it happened during my lifetime, but I’m not sure, because I’ve spent a lot of my life in a cave. Hank Williams, Sam Cooke wrote and sang their own songs, but I don’t think they were generally referred to as “the artist.” Or, rather, when they were referred to as artists it was meant as a compliment, … [Read more...]