WMV webstore: Marilyn Banner’s book “Expanding Unconscious Sources” now on sale
(free download - low res illustrations)
Maritza Rivera’s poem, written at the Musica Viva 4/17/19 concert:
Piano Magic
Music descends
the stone steps of night
and fills our empty crevices
like water in a glass of pebbles.
It is alive and echoes
like hello in a dark cave.
It is the call of a dinner bell
that nourishes us
so we gather obediently
lest it stop playing.
We look and listen in wonder
but mostly we imagine each note
drifting gently like whispered wishes
never wanting such magic to end.
(from Wojnarowicz, at the Whitney)
In August I seem to be grappling with piano-playing and identity issues.
In June and July I was reading Kant and thinking about composers, music, families, etc. Here are my notes:
Comforting sign in Bonnie Thron's music studio
Self-filling watering can by Lonnie Holley ("JG Thirwell's Tumblr", Mass MOCA, 2017)
I have collected my journal entries from the last year, extracting music-related, poetic, and philosophical writings, and leaving behind shopping lists, concert planning, public relations, etc. Mostly single sentences, in chronological order, about music and life. Some of them I continue to mull over. Some of them, even I don't know what I was thinking. I am posting these because some of the ideas may be useful and/or entertaining to you, and I find it helpful to have them collected in one place. Here and there I see the germs of new projects. For instance, the magic watering can image/idea led to the commissioning of new works by local composers. They are posted in three pdfs:
Ellyn Wexler published this terrific article about us and our upcoming March 31 concert.
Bonnie Thron and Bill Robinson will come up for the March 31 concert at Church of the Ascension.
Check out Bill's "Autobillography"
Mei Mei also shot a lot of great rehearsal photos.
Artist Mei Mei Chang was at the October 21 concert at Church of the Ascension. Here are some of her photos.
Artist Mei Mei Chang took some photos at the house concert:
Last night's house concert was pretty amazing. The Brahms Quartet was everything one could wish for, better than in any of the rehearsals. It felt very good to musicians and listeners alike. Matt Testa and Bobby Hill were in the audience. I posted the recording at: http://www.dcmusicaviva.org/recordings/
Mei Mei Chang took photos, which I will post later, and Marilyn got a good video clip that she put on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe I can post it here too.
Here is the interview, recorded from my computer while I was in the studio.
Matt Testa has started an experimental music program on Takoma Park's new micro radio station, WOWD 94.3 FM. It airs Wednesday nights at 6 pm. He will interview me about WMV on Wednesday September 14 around 6:30 pm. I will bring some of our best, way out there stuff. Here is a clip from a piece by James Brody, based on the DNA sequence of a dopamine receptor (commissioned by WMV in 2002).