goPlay, goOpen-Source
We're about to pack up and head over to Space With A Soul for the EM spring performance showcase, Open Source. But before we do, we wanted to share a quick taste of what's in store for tonight. In the video below, Peter Gregson (artistic advisor and cellist/composer/technophile extraordinaire) explains goPlay, a new responsive performance interface developed by Reactify Music:
Over and out.
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Open Source
Thursday, May 17 // 7PM
Space with a Soul // 281 Summer Street, Boston
Tickets: $5 with NEC ID //opensourcenec.eventbrite.com
A creative team of NEC students, led by contemporary cellist Peter Gregson, have spent a semester musically exploring the concept of open source. The result is a eclectic program of newly-composed and adapted works, including: (OPEN)Source by Peter Dodds, which uses crowd-sourcing data in composition; Silence by Charlie Haden for solo bass and loop station; Unseen by Tara Mueller for Violin, Voice, and electronics; Significant Transits by Vanessa Wheeler for solo tuba and electronics; Solo Duet in Three Movements by Peter Gregson, which uses goPlay, a new responsive performance interface; and H No. 1-7 Redux by Neal Markowski, performed by The Gradient Us Ensemble, with art film by SMFA student Angela Counts.
For more information, visit necmusic.edu/open-source.
Cheap Eats and Bacon Related Treats
We're hosting a 'Last Hurrah' for graduating students tomorrow--a celebratory lunch and send-off with good food, a toast, some wise words from NEC alumni, and a packet of resources. We cook up a lot of little projects in EM--some practical, others less so, some that make it into the world, others that just kick around in our imagination--but we're really excited about our most recent idea: a "Cheap Eats" cookbook. The EM staff loves to cook, well, maybe it would be more precise to say that we love to eat. Most days we have communal snacks of some sort kicking around the office (often with some bacon in it, thanks to EM Director and bacon evangelist Rachel Roberts). So it seemed like a natural extension of our passion for cooking and eating to whip up a book with our favorite recipes that are good for recent grads on a budget.
The recipes are great, but what we're most excited about is this quirky ink drawing, whipped up by Heidi Aispuro (NEC '11), for the cover.
We'll post the full book online, once the end-of-semester craze dies down. Until then, enjoy this work of art!
Open Source
(OPEN)Source by Peter Dodds, which uses crowd-sourcing data in composition; Silence by Charlie Haden for solo bass and loop station; Unseen by Tara Mueller for Violin, Voice, and electronics; Significant Transits by Vanessa Wheeler for solo tuba and electronics; Solo Duet in Three Movements by Peter Gregson, which uses goPlay, a new responsive performance interface; and H No. 1-7 Redux by Neal Markowski, performed by The Gradient Us Ensemble, with art film by SMFA student Angela Counts.
Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $5 with a valid student ID. Visit opensourcenec.eventbrite.com, to order your tickets in advance!
Behind-the-Scenes Look at Acoustica Electronica
Happy to begin the week by sharing this high energy, behind-the-scenes look at the making of Acoustica Electronica. What you're seeing is the handy work of a young, immensly talented, and interdicplinary creative team, led by Colin Thurmond, fall EM grant recipient and founder of toUch Performance Art. If you're moved by what you see and what to get involved, you're in luck...toUch is holding auditions this week. Send your headshot and resume to touchperformanceart@gmail.com, or head over to www.touchperformanceart.com for more details.
Review of "Voyage In a White Building: The Music of Burr Van Nostrand"
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You may remember our post about EM Grant recipient Jason Belcher, and his ambitious project Voyage in a White Building I: The Music of Burr Van Nostrand, involving the recording, preservation, and performance of a unique body of American music. The concert of Van Nostrand's work took place last Sunday, April 22 and we're happy to share this stunning review from NewMusicBox.
You can read the full review, here. But, before you do, take a listen to the piece yourself. It will give your Friday afternoon a healthy shake and stir:
To Stay or To Go?
New "M" Column: Slippery Path
The latest article from "M" - EM's resident balance promoting advice columnist for NEC's Penguin Student Newspaper.
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Dear M,
I just finished going through the audition process for a number of summer festivals, and it is bringing up a lot of feelings of doubt and anxiety. I auditioned for several festivals last year and wasn’t accepted, which was really discouraging and set me down a slippery path of self doubt. I was able to muster enough confidence and energy to make it through this audition season but feel worried that if I don’t get accepted to any festivals this summer that I won’t be able to stay positive and proactive. I guess I’m wondering how you can take rejection in stride and use it to keep you motivated instead of letting it set you back?
Dear Slippery Path,I can’t tell you how much your question resonates and recalls moments in my professional development, but before I launch into all that, I want to say this: it gets better. It is hard to weather rejection no matter how much experience and wisdom you have on your side, but weathering rejection when you’re young can be particularly complicated. There’s so much uncertainty and possibility that surrounds your existence right now, so every set back can feel like a foundational moment. Every rejection can feel like a final sentence. But it gets better. The older you get, the more firm you become in your identity, the more at peace you become with your particular strengths and weaknesses, the easier it gets to move past these kinds of road bumps. I realize this doesn’t help you just yet, but I thought I’d share it all the same.
It’s easy to internalize rejection and let it influence your narrative about the skills, talent and value you have to offer. But, self doubt isn’t entirely a bad thing. It is often a tricky side effect of other positive qualities such as self reflection, humility, and the drive to continually improve. I know how often I use the word balance, but it’s germane here as well. Dealing with rejection is a delicate balance of letting your challenging experiences shape and move you forward without letting them cut you down.
I know how damaging self doubt can be when it takes over your internal narrative and stomps out other voices that might be trying to remind you about all that you have and will accomplish. I have been down that slippery path, and it is grueling to reign in self doubt once it’s on the loose. Although I’m not always successful, I try to engage in positive, proactive thinking. I usually take a long walk to physically step out of my hurt and consider all of the external forces that might have affected the particular situation: personal bias, taste, a particularly large applicant pool, a family or organizational connection, an off day. And for the times that I can’t step out of my hurt, I rely on people who love me to help. I talk to a close friend, or a family member—someone who I know can be relied upon to help me refocus and reframe.
I don’t think of myself as much of a fatalist, but I guess there’s a spark of that philosophy that drives me forward. I can’t tell you how many times I wasn’t accepted for a fellowship, job, or opportunity that I desperately wanted and thought I was well suited for, only to go on to get a fellowship, job or opportunity that was even more perfectly tailored to my interests and goals. But in order for that to happen, I had to get back on the horse, I had to put myself out there again and remain positive about my prospects. When I wallow in the pain of rejection, my mother always reminds me in her quirky non-native English that, “when one window closes, it is opening a new door.” Slippery path, I hope this saying also brings you some comfort and helps you stay focused on the path ahead and the opportunities that are waiting just around the bend.
Open Source Concert
We're hard at work planning Open Source, a student driven concert that grew out of the EM Innovation Forum with cellist Peter Gregson last fall. Ten students have signed on to commission and perform new work that inovlves live sound manipulation. We're not shy to admit it - we LOVE lists. So here's a fine example of one such list, whipped up at our team meeting yesterday, on our trusty white-board-wall. Look out for more details about Open Source coming soon. In the meantime, block off your calendars on 5/17 at 7PM at Space with a Soul in Fort Point Channel!
Voyage in a White Building I: The Music of Burr Van Nostrand
EM Grant recipient Jason Belcher is deep into Voyage in a White Building I: The Music of Burr Van Nostrand, an ambitious project involving the recording, preservation, and performance of a unique body of American music. Jason has recruited a unique set of collaborators, including the American Composer's Alliance, New World Records, and NEC's Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department. The project will formally kick off with a concert at NEC on Sunday, April 22, 2012 in Brown Hall, featuring V an Nostrand's Voyage in a White Building and other compositions. Below, you will find photos of Van Nostrand's graphic scores, a press release put out by the ACA, and a video interview conducted by Jason with Burr himself.
Reflections from EM Internship at Dirty Water Sound + Music
EM intern Devin Roth shares takeaways from his work at Dirty Water Sound and Music last fall. One highlight was his collaboration with the Fontaine Brothers, who are about to release their debut album with Mad River Productions. Below are a few action shots in the studio!
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We all know of the problem that one cannot get work without experience and experience only comes from working. I recognized this problem for myself and thought that doing an internship during my final year at NEC would be a valuable tool to help me transition into the real world after gradutation. As it turns out, my internship experience exceeded my expectations. Not only did it give me the valuable experience I was looking for, but also provided me with excellent networking opportunities.My internship journey began at the end of the semester in May of 2011. My musical interests lie primarily in composition and I felt a desire to learn more about recording to add to my bag of skills. I was also very interested in the business aspect of the music industry and as a result I was looking for a smaller company that would let me have a glimpse into their day to day operations. It just so happened that I knew a guy named Jared Mooney from church who had his own studio called Dirty Water Sound and Music. I approached him about the possibility of being an intern and he told me to contact him when I get back to school in the fall. When I returned to school I set up an internship with Dirty Water Sound with the help of Phil Bravo. My basic responsibilities at Dirty Water Sound were to help setup and takedown microphones, stands and other recording equipment. Jared was always available to answer any questions that I might have about miking, recording or whatever he was doing. I don’t have a strong background in recording, and Jared was always patient and helpful when I was unsure about something. On slower weeks, all the interns would get together and Jared would hold a studio lab where we would go over various miking techniques. Then something unexpected happened. One of the groups that we recorded, called the Fontaine Brothers, was in need of someone to write string arrangements for a couple of their songs. The usual guy that Jared worked with for his arranging needs was unavailable so he recommended that I work for the Fontaine Brothers. Together we made an agreement with the record label owner, Charles of Mad River Productions that let me work directly with the band and arrange their pieces. Over the next couple of months I continued my internship duties at Dirty Water Sound while I worked with the Fontaine Brothers. Not only did I help with the setup and takedown, but I also provided creative input, helped with vocal harmonies, and wrote string arrangements for their songs – and made a little money as a result. One of the highlights of my experience came after I completed the string quartet arrangements: Hiring a string quartet to come into the studio and record my arrangements. It was an amazing experience seeing my work come to life. Everyone loved it.My choice to pursue an internship through NEC was one of the best things that I have done during my graduate studies. It turned out to be a far more valuable experience than I expected. Not only did I learn about miking, recording and small business practices, I also gained experience composing and arranging along with developing great relationships with people that will be part of my future career. If I hadn’t pursued an internship I would never have had the opportunity to meet these people. I’m excited to see where my experiences will lead me next.
