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"Semele" this weekend

4/29/2013

It's been a little while, so I'm excited to be performing an opera this weekend! I'll be singing the role of "Jupiter" in Handel's Semele. These performances are put together by violinist and shop owner David Kerr through Baroque Opera Workshop.

It feels so good to be singing this music! My part has some really lyrical moments and some wickedly-challenging coloratura.

Here's a picture from rehearsal yesterday:

And here's info about the shows:

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Be Here Now, Idea 17

4/29/2013

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I'm having an unusual set of feelings this week, inspired by all sorts of life events and such. Below is the music that needed to come out today as part of 52 Ideas. Sometimes I just sit at the piano and I feel like I just marvel at the beauty of a single major chord (in this case F Major). And then I start to marvel at the marvelous feelings that come up when I just change one note, or two notes, or three notes.

I just want to "be here now." Simplicity and beauty and...being present.

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Opera, Explained

4/23/2013

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Ever wonder what opera is all about? Well, as usual, leave it to Sesame Street to explain it clearly! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xrab76v5zU

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Ideal 16 - Once More With Feeling

4/20/2013

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This is Idea 16 of 52 Ideas. It's the first time I've tried to "rewrite" something. My wife Abby really enjoyed Idea 13, my "Quintal" idea from a few weeks ago, and she suggested that I continue developing the idea. So I used the basic harmonies and rewrote it as an electronic piece.

(By the way, if you're interested in hearing everything I've written so far, you can just go directly to my SoundCloud profile. Or you can see all the blog posts tagged with "52 Ideas.")

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Polyphony and Idea 15

4/11/2013

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I'm singing a concert of Renaissance polyphony with Cappella Romana this weekend, so I've been spending all week in rehearsals singing this beautiful music.

I was feeling inspired by these amazing composers like Victoria and Guerrero. And I thought - what is simplest form of polyphony? It's a canon or round.

So I wrote a simple canon today....no words yet, just a tune! Anyone have any ideas what the words could be about?

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Idea 14 and Drumming

4/8/2013

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I've been working a bit with rhythmic concepts so far during the 52 Ideas project. As a singer I'm particularly drawn to the lyrical, ooey-gooey, long lines. And as a sometimes choral singer, I like the vertical sonorities that maximize harmony and dissonance.

But I just don't spend a lot of time in my musical life in the rhythmic world (other than having the professional necessity for excellent rhythmic skills, which I do have). As I have been playing with electronic music and also beatbox (a couple weeks ago), I came to a realization - I don't really understand how drumming works....I've never played a drum kit, and I have really minimal experience with hand drums like congas or djembes.

So last week I had a drum lesson! I met Mike Dunay at a Playback Theater event, and he taught me my first ever drum lesson. It was fun and I immediately noticed how much there is to learn. I'm hoping to spend more time on the drums and get more experience in this area.

This piece I wrote is REALLY in process...I'm almost embarrassed to share it because it was really hard to do. I was trying to create some drums loops without using the pre-made loops in Garage Band. And I feel like my mind sort up comes up blank when I try to do this.

So, here is Idea 14, with a reminder....this is all an experiment! I'm trying something new!
(Also, you might want to listen to this one with headphones or good speakers, otherwise you won't be able to hear the bass part.)

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"Semele" this weekend

Be Here Now, Idea 17

Opera, Explained

Ideal 16 - Once More With Feeling

Polyphony and Idea 15

Idea 14 and Drumming

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