EarRelevant

Irreplaceable Doodles - Nov. 17

2009-11-12T10:36:00.012-05:00

and other flights of musical fancy

an evening of meaningfully unaccompanied musical modernism

featuring the irrationally exuberant music of
Karl Henning

and the tastefully delicious world premiere of “Smorgasbord” by
Nicole Randall-Chamberlain

as performed by the composers themselves

Karl Henning, clarinet & Nicole Randall-Chamberlain, flute

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
within the acoustical accoutrements of
Emory Presbyterian Church
1886 North Decatur Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

$10 general admission / $5 students with I.D.
at the door
(sorry, we are unable to accept credit/debit cards)

for more information, click here (Facebook event page)
or e-mail concerts@luxnova.com
or (if you absolutely must) tel. 404-654-3918 (Google Voice number)

Soulbird hopes to build a safe nest for Iraqi artists

2009-10-21T11:03:00.006-05:00

Atlanta musician goes to Kurdistan to make music amid chaos

by Mark Gresham

R. Timothy Brady is a soft-spoken young man whose immersion in the arts and sense of moral imperative has taken him on a mission to Iraq. Last Saturday, the composer/activist left Atlanta for Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, to establish an English-language academy where he will teach music, all under the auspices of the nonprofit Soulbird Inc., of which Brady is founder and executive director.

One minor problem: Performing music in Iraq can get you killed.

[READ MORE...]

Source: Creative Loafing-Atlanta
Date: 20 OCTOBER 2009
Author: Mark Gresham

Weekly Ear, July 30 - Aug. 5, 2009

2009-07-29T22:19:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/1 @8:30pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ASO and Turner Classic Movies present “Rodgers & Hammerstein At The Movies” with Selections from "The Sound of Music," "Oklahoma" and "Carousel" plus more classics from Broadway's dynamic duo. Robert Osborne hosts, Richard Kaufman conducts. $21-$59. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

Composers and the "relationship-making business"

2009-07-27T21:45:00.005-05:00

An article by Alex Shapiro, posted today, well-worth reading even if you're not a composer:

Blogger Book Club III: Selling Everything, 2.0—The Jig Goes Public

"Those of us who are musicians and composers might think that we're in the music-making business, but we're actually in the relationship-making business. [...] One of the limitations of the new music world is its self-referential nature, whereby accepted norms are...accepted norms, and fewer participants think outside of the taco shell. I find myself most stimulated and inspired by the observations of those who are not part of the arts scene, who see the larger trends in society and in the way people communicate." —Alex Shapiro [READ MORE]

author: Alex Shapiro
source: www.artsjournal.com
date: July 27, 2009

Weekly Ear, July 23 - July 29, 2009

2009-07-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/25 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Guest conductor Hugh Wolff leads an all-Beethoven program. The concert includes “Leonore Overture No. 3” and “Symphony No. 7,” and features young Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen in the “Piano Concerto No. 3.” $21-$59. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

TUE/28 @ 8:00pm
FRANKLIN POND CHAMBER MUSIC
FPCM's faculty (all Atlanta Symphony members) plus 16 of Atlanta's brightest young classical musicians conclude this summer chamber music program in a performance of music for strings by Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bartok and Gershwin. FREE. Peachtree Presbyetrian Church, 404-252-3479, www.franklinpond.org

Eyedrum threatens to move or close

2009-07-19T14:43:00.005-05:00

Music critic Pierre Ruhe examines the current status of Atlanta's most iconic alternative performance/exhibit space:

Mired in money troubles, Eyedrum threatens to move or close

The innovative multi-disciplinary arts space Eyedrum, an invaluable asset to Atlanta's arts scene, is in financial trouble. ... [READ MORE]

author: Pierre Ruhe
source: artscriticATL.com

NY Times: "An architect puts Bach in a musical cocoon"

2009-07-19T10:28:00.003-05:00

MANCHESTER, England — A rewarding experiment in creating an ideal space to hear some of Bach’s most intimate music... [READ MORE...]

source: nytimes.com
author: Anthony Tommasini, 13 July 2009

Topic for discussion: How do you choose (or create) a venue best suited to your own music?

Weekly Ear, July 16 - July 22

2009-07-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/18 @ 10:00am
SACRED HARP SINGING
Hugh McGraw leads this 6-hour open event where Sacred Harp singers from throughout the Southeast flock annually for traditional shape-note music and potluck luncheon, with emphasis on participation, curiosity and enthusiasm. Concludes at 4 p.m.. FREE. Spivey Hall, 404-297-8398, www.spiveyhall.org

Weekly Ear, July 9 - July 15

2009-07-08T07:00:00.005-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/11 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Nine days before the 40th anniversary of humanity's first steps on the Moon, Mei-Ann Chen conducts Holst's “The Planets,” featuring high-resolution NASA space imagery, plus music from “Star Wars” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” $21-$59, Verizon Amphitheatre, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

WED/15 @ 9:00pm
NATHANIEL BARTLETT
A five-octave acoustic marimba centers the dramatic musical world of percussionist/composer Bartlett, immersed within hi-def computer-generated sonic environments. Features first Atlanta performances of "Take Flight" by Wisconsin composer Allan Schindler and Bartlett's own "Sound/Space System.” $7. Eyedrum, 404-522-0655, www.eyedrum.org

It's the ideas, stupid!

2009-07-07T17:02:00.006-05:00

Entrepreneur and programmer Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, talks about the difference between the value of ideas and the people who have them:

The mirror: It’s about you, not them.

If you see a gorgeous painting that fascinates you, does it matter if you find out the artist hasn’t paid her taxes? Would you stop enjoying the painting? ... READ MORE at SIVERS.ORG

Source: sivers.org
Author: Derek Sivers

Opposition to H.R. 2454 likely growing in U.S. Senate

2009-07-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

In today's U.S. News and World Report, columnist Peter Roff (Thomas Jefferson Street blog) posits that opposition to H.R. 2454, aka "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," is swelling in the U.S. Senate. His article Numbers Adding Up Against Obama's "Cap and Trade" Bill in the Senate (posted July 07, 2009 11:31 AM ET) points to both the thin margin of passage in the House and the statistical distribution of those House votes among State delegations as being among the indicators.

A simple majority in the House is 216. A total of 219 Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 2545, 212 voted against.

Of 255 Democrats in the House, 44 of them (a little over 17%) voted against the bill, while one did not vote.

Political heat is being taken from within their own party by 8 House Republicans for voting in favor of the bill, which passed by only 4 votes. Had only half of those Republicans voted "no" the bill would have failed. Two Republicans did not cast a vote.

View a statistical summary and "who voted how" in the roll call of votes here. ¹

Download the entire 1428 pages of H.R. 2454 (PDF, 2.24 mb), as passed by the House of Representatives on July 6, here. ²

Opponents of H.R. 2454, sometimes familiarly called the "Energy Tax," "Cap and Trade" or "Cap and Tax" bill, are pressing hard for its defeat in the Senate.

—Mark Gresham

[1] from govtrack.us
[2] Document certified by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Governement Printing Office with a GeoTrust CA from Adobe.

Nothing to waste: The advantage of being under-funded

2009-07-03T09:25:00.005-05:00

Entrepreneur and programmer Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, talks about marketing as simply "being considerate" without need for the fancy trappings:

Nothing to waste: The advantage of being under-funded

Source: sivers.org
Author: Derek Sivers

The Music May Not Want to Be Free

2009-07-02T17:24:00.008-05:00

In the upcoming July 6, 2009 issue of The New Yorker, reviewer Malcolm Gladwell takes on the technological utopian assumptions of WIRED editor Chris Anderson's book, Free.

Malcolm Gladwell reviews Free by Chris Anderson: Books: The New Yorker

Source: www.newyorker.com
BOOKS review of “Free: The Future of a Radical Price” (Hyperion; $26.99) by Chris Anderson. ... READ MORE in THE NEW YORKER

Sony Walkman turns 30

2009-07-01T21:00:00.002-05:00

On July 1, 1979, thirty years ago today, the original Sony Walkman made its public debut as the world’s first portable music player... READ MORE in CREATIVE LOAFING

Moonwalking before Michael Jackson?

2009-07-01T08:15:00.002-05:00

Michael Jackson made the moonwalk world-famous during his performance in the 1983 TV special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. But who inspired the King of Pop to make it his signature step?... READ MORE in CREATIVE LOAFING

Weekly Ear, July 2 - July 8, 2009

2009-07-01T07:00:00.005-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/4 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & U.S. ARMY CHORUS
Bridget Reischl leads the ASO in an All-American patriotic program for Independence Day, featuring the U.S. Army Chorus, based at Fort Myer, Virginia, one of the few professional all male choruses in the nation. $21-$59, Verizon Amphitheatre, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

Weekly Ear, June 25 - July 1, 2009

2009-06-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SAT/27 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Grant Llewellyn, conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, leads an all-Mozart program: the Overture to “The Marriage of Figaro,” “Symphony No. 41,” and “Piano Concerto in D minor” featuring brilliant Bosnian pianist Pedja Muzijevic. $21-$59. Verizon Amphitheatre, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

Weekly Ear, June 18 - June 24, 2009

2009-06-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

FRI/19 @ 7:30pm & SUN/21 @ 3:00pm
2009 HARROWER SUMMER OPERA WORKSHOP SCENES
Public performances of operatic scenes over two days. Of special note is inclusion of Daniel Shore's one-act opera, “The Beautiful Bridegroom,” and premiere of two scenes from Michael Ching's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” amid the panoply of more familiar fare. Each performance is $20 ($10 students with ID). 7:30 p.m., Kopleff Recital Hall, 404-413-5901, www.music.gsu.edu

SAT/20 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
The ASO's second summer at “VZW” opens with Carl Orff's raucously hedonistic “Carmina Burana” and excerpts from Rossini's popular “Barber of Seville.” Vocal soloists featured are soprano Georgia Jarman, tenor Nicholas Phan, baritone Matthew Worth are featured, plus Gwinnett Young Singers. Robert Spano conducts. $21-$59, Verizon Amphitheatre, 404-733-4800, www.atlantasymphony.org

Weekly Ear, June 11 - June 17, 2009

2009-06-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

The Weekly Ear takes a week off, as essentially does Atlanta's classical music scene this week. Next week begins summer fare highlights and commentary.

Weekly Ear, June 4 - June 10, 2009

2009-06-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

THU/4, FRI/5 & SAT/6 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts this third program in a festival of South American music with a multi-media theme centered around the ancient Inca Empire, featuring Brazilian mezzo-soprano Luciana Souza. $18-$73. Symphony Hall, 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org

SUN/7 @ 3:30pm
ATLANTA COMMUNITY SYMPHONY ORCHSTRA
Juan Ramirez conducts the premiere of his own composition, "Down-East," inspired by writings of American musicologist George Pullen Jackson, a pioneer in the study of Southern “white spirituals”of regional “fa-so-la” singing. FREE. Congregation Shearith Israel, 404-873-1743, www.acsorch.org

Weekly Ear, May 28 - June 3, 2009

2009-05-27T07:00:00.003-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

THU/28 & SAT/30 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Miguel Harth-Bedoya conducts this first program in a festival of South American music using the ancient Inca Empire as its centralizing multi-media theme, with guest solo flutist Jessica Warren-Acosta. Repeats SAT/30. $18-$73. 8:00 p.m., Symphony Hall, 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org

Weekly Ear, May 21 - May 27, 2009

2009-05-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

SUN/24 @ 3:00pm
ROBERT HENRY
Artist-in-residence at Kennesaw State University, classical pianist Henry, noted for virtuosity and old-school tone, performs music of Mozart, Bach-Busoni, Faure, Vine, Sakamoto and Liszt. His new CD, “Nocturnes,” debuts this spring. $15 ($12 seniors/students). Callanwolde Arts Center, 404-872-5338 www.callanwolde.org

Weekly Ear, May 14 - May 20, 2009

2009-05-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

THU/14 & SAT/16 @ 8:00pm and SUN/17 @ 3:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & CHORUS
Stravinsky's “A Symphony of Psalms” and Mozart's “Requiem” featuring soprano Nathalie Paulin, mezzo-soprano Stacey Rishoi, tenor Chad Johnson and bass Gustav Andreassen. Robert Spano conducts. $16-$73. Symphony Hall, 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org

SUN/17 @ 3:00pm
ATLANTA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
Distinguished Australian Baroque violinist Elizabeth (Libby) Wallfisch is ABO's guest director/violinist for am authentic “period performance practice” concert of music by English composers : G.F. Handel, Henry Purcell, Matthew Locke, Charles Avison and Francesco Geminiani. $15-$25. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 770-537-3974 www.atlantabaroque.org

TUE/19 @ 7:30pm
ATLANTA CHAMBER PLAYERS
Program features the jazzy sextet "Atlanta Licks" by Johnathan Kramer (not the character from the “Saw” movies), a trio by Heinrich von Herzogenberg, and Ludwig van Beethoven's “String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130.” $20/$10 students with ID. New American Shakespeare Tavern, 404-874-5299 www.shakespearetavern.com

Weekly Ear, May 7 - May 13

2009-05-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

THU/7, FRI/8 & SAT/9 @ 8:00pm
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Canadian pianist Louis Lortie performs “Piano Concerto No. 4” of Ludwig van Beethoven. ASO frames the concerto performance with evocative music by Claude Debussy and Franz Liszt. Robert Spano conducts. $16-$73. Symphony Hall, 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org

FRI/8 @ 8:15pm
MAGDALENA KOZENA and KAREL KOSAREK
Luminous-voiced Czech mezzo-soprano Kozena and collaborative pianist Kosarek perform a bouquet of love songs by Henry Purcell in modern realizations by Benjamin Britten, and songs by Alban Berg, Robert Schumann and Henri Duparc. $60. Spivey Hall, 678-466-4200 www.spiveyhall.org

SAT/9 @ 8:15pm
JULIA FISCHER and MILANA CHERNYAVSKA
Classic FM Gramophone “2007 Artist of the Year,” 24-year-old German violinist Fischer and young Ukrainian-born pianist Chernyavska perform a tetrad of sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev and Martinu. $45. Spivey Hall, 678-466-4200 www.spiveyhall.org

Weekly Ear, Apr. 30 - May 6

2009-04-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Atlanta concert picks

THU/30 @ 8:00 p.m.
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Violinist Itzhak Perlman makes his conducting debut with the ASO, leading "Symphony No. 3" by Franz Schubert and "Symphony No. 4" by Johannes Brahms, and soloing in the "Violin Concerto in A Major" by J.S. Bach. Repeats SAT/2 @ 8:00 p.m., SUN/3 @ 3:00 p.m. $21-$78, Symphony Hall, 404-733-5000, www.atlantasymphony.org

FRI/1 @ 8:00pm & SUN/3 @ 3:00pm
ATLANTA OPERA
Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman." The story a ghost ship and its captain, doomed to sail the oceans forever unless he can be redeemed by a true love. Stage direction by Tomer Zvulun; conducted by Arthur Fagen. $25-$130. Cobb Energy Centre, 404-881-8885 www.atlantaopera.org

SAT/2 @ 8:00pm
NEW TRINITY BAROQUE
Swedish tenor Leif Aruhn-Solen is NTB's guest in a “historically informed” performance of trio sonatas, suites, and arias commemorating the 250th anniversary of the death of German-English Baroque composer George Frideric Handel. $29-$39; students $9. 8:00 p.m., St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 404-547-5775, www.newtrinitybaroque.org

TUE/5 @ 7:30pm
ATLANTA SINGERS
Since 1976, this 18-voice choral ensemble has been a consistent mainstay of Atlanta's choral music scene, performing repertoire from Renaissance masters to notable living composers of our time. David Morrow conducts. FREE, Holy Innovents' Episcopal Church, 404-931-8230, www.atlantasingers.org