Yeah it's December already the virtual halfway point of the year. The fall has been so intense that I feel glad it's almost half over! Of course in suddenlyLISTEN Land the second half of the year is more intense with January marking the opening of grant season. I strap on a computer from then until April 1st and write and edit and imagine my brains out. My family does not love this time. But it's satifying for me, especially when the money comes in, and articulating my dreams is always fun. And it is less invasive these days with help from Andrea and SAM who help immeasurably.
Bt ewnough of the future. The past has been great. beyond/beside/behind/before (Is that what it's called? I have to look it up each time - you know what I'm talking about...) was great fun and a real success. It was amazing to play with Allison and D'Arcy and to get to make sound with such a variety of instruments and noisemakers! I had a hoot, and discovered the iPod Touch as an exciting new instrument.
This week is sL meets Kumquat and rehearsals for that have been moving along. This is real deeparture for sL as playing written pieces has rarely been a priority, but working with Simon Docking, Suzanne Lemieux and Sue Sayle who are such great players has been terifuc. A special holler goes out to Zach Fairbrother, one of our Dal Student players who has shown himself to be professional, and capibal of hanging with the pros for this concert. He's going to do great. Workers Union is epic, truly a struggle that never ends! We found ourselves talking about the labour movement this morning! It's a piece that makes a point, not really fun to listen to maybe, but it is saying something important about people working together, having a say, being committed to a cause and
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
More Time!
I wish I had more time to write in this blog! I am now in the thick of the season, preparing for beyond/beside/before/behind, running the workshop, and writing grants like a madman!
Tonight seems like a night off, so why not write a bit?
I'm struggling to fund a great project with Pauline Oliveros, my brother John, Ione, and heavy film guy Peter Mettler, in Banff this June. I have several irons in the funding fire there, and high hopes. And I need some new irons too, so will be hitting my media art friends up for info on how to get my foot in that door! So this project is taking my writing time.
Looking back, the Ken Aldcroft Open Source show was great, some new audience and Paul Cram, playing up a storm then leaving for the airport like a rock star. A highlight for me! ken's workshop introduced us to John Steven's exercises, and some cool new pieces. Ken is a truly dedicated soul, making the music, and doing the work to make the music because "it has to be done". I admire his passion for our music, it's inspiring to see somebody that keeps working despite inevitable delays and disappointments. It just has to be done. Go buy his CD's Help to keep this guy going!!
That's it for now. More soon
Tonight seems like a night off, so why not write a bit?
I'm struggling to fund a great project with Pauline Oliveros, my brother John, Ione, and heavy film guy Peter Mettler, in Banff this June. I have several irons in the funding fire there, and high hopes. And I need some new irons too, so will be hitting my media art friends up for info on how to get my foot in that door! So this project is taking my writing time.
Looking back, the Ken Aldcroft Open Source show was great, some new audience and Paul Cram, playing up a storm then leaving for the airport like a rock star. A highlight for me! ken's workshop introduced us to John Steven's exercises, and some cool new pieces. Ken is a truly dedicated soul, making the music, and doing the work to make the music because "it has to be done". I admire his passion for our music, it's inspiring to see somebody that keeps working despite inevitable delays and disappointments. It just has to be done. Go buy his CD's Help to keep this guy going!!
That's it for now. More soon
Friday, August 1, 2008
Summer Fun
Well the money is in (thanks to the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism Culture and Heritage, and the Canada Council for the Arts!) and now the season's prep begins. Dates are set, artists booked, Andrea and I have had our late night phone meeting that starts the admin ball rolling and I'm starting to get Mireille going on design! Wow.
The brochure design process is interesting. Composing text, I have to describe each concert in very few words (a concert that will be invented spontaneously, mind you) AND make it appealing sounding! That's hard. I'm a bad salesman.
I hope all this isn't not too much work. Oh well good thing I usually love the work - and the result!
More soon
The brochure design process is interesting. Composing text, I have to describe each concert in very few words (a concert that will be invented spontaneously, mind you) AND make it appealing sounding! That's hard. I'm a bad salesman.
I hope all this isn't not too much work. Oh well good thing I usually love the work - and the result!
More soon
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Memories #3
Music on the Cheap is a Series that has taken me a few years to get a handle on. Originally it was a chance to get people performing more, with a minimum of expense and administration. Then it grew, to a series that accomplished the above, with an added bonus of giving younger improvisers a chance to perform with local pros.
Now it is different again! And I think this is the format that will stick. For the final two concerts of 07/08, I've invited individuals to bring their work to show. They show up and play a set with whatever or whoever they've been working with! No questions asked. All I require is improvisation. Pretty fun.
This has resulted in two fantastic concerts with a huge variety of music, from the vocal performance art of Jake Danson-Faraday's Free Hugs, to Panos Giannoulis' punk attitude fueled work with Zachary Fairbrother, to Steve Slater's old school/new school electronic music. It's been amazing!
So I'm changing the name of the series to reflect the new style of concerts : Open Source is the new Series. Open Source reflects the nature of the concerts, people sharing their work amongst their friends, and sharing it with an audience ready for adventure.
It's the kind of concert I love going to!
Watch for Three Open Source concerts next year, starting in October or November. And come out to see the broad range of improvised music being made in Nova Scotia. It's pretty astounding.
Now it is different again! And I think this is the format that will stick. For the final two concerts of 07/08, I've invited individuals to bring their work to show. They show up and play a set with whatever or whoever they've been working with! No questions asked. All I require is improvisation. Pretty fun.
This has resulted in two fantastic concerts with a huge variety of music, from the vocal performance art of Jake Danson-Faraday's Free Hugs, to Panos Giannoulis' punk attitude fueled work with Zachary Fairbrother, to Steve Slater's old school/new school electronic music. It's been amazing!
So I'm changing the name of the series to reflect the new style of concerts : Open Source is the new Series. Open Source reflects the nature of the concerts, people sharing their work amongst their friends, and sharing it with an audience ready for adventure.
It's the kind of concert I love going to!
Watch for Three Open Source concerts next year, starting in October or November. And come out to see the broad range of improvised music being made in Nova Scotia. It's pretty astounding.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Memories#2
This season has really cemented in my mind that suddenlyLISTEN is not just about concerts. Finally! It took more than several pints and a stern lecture from my friend Sebastian Lexer in London to help me to realize that building the community of improvisers is where sL can do it's best work. It took me feeling really great at 9pm on some Monday nights. Workshop night.
The core of our community work is the workshop. Tim Crofts and I meet up with anybody, I mean anybody who wants to come and play! It's amazing. We get together on alternating Mondays, usually in a big room at the Quinpool Education Centre in Halifax, (although this year we struggled with Monday snowstorms - and when schools are closed the QEC is closed.) We are very grateful for our space though, because it is large and open and because it is generously donated by the Halifax City Schools Music Department. Also amazing.
And we play, we do some things that Tim learned in Boston when he was studying there, we do some things I've respectfully borrow from Eddie Prevost and his workshop in the UK, and we do some Deep Listening-type exercises taught and inspired by Pauline Oliveros.
And we improvise, we take suggestions, anything is possible.
And people keep coming: some EVERY time, like Howard Harawitz, who is our senior member, sergeant at arms and freedom police guy. Whenever things get to analyzed Howard steps in and sets us straight! He's great, and I think carries the spirit of what we are trying to do along with Tim and me. Then there is Kels Joudrey, high school kid, wildcard and inspiration. He's an inspiration: shooting his mouth off, getting teased back and playing like crazy!
And the music is almost always beautiful. Sure there are duds sometimes, but often, really quite frequently, the music is miraculous: sensitive, energized and expressive. I'm amazed quite a lot.
So we get together, sometimes there are five of us, sometimes there are twelve. Usually there are eight, which is a great number, and a testament to the people, and to the need for this work even in little old Halifax.
It enriches me every time, and I really appreciate that. You should come!
The core of our community work is the workshop. Tim Crofts and I meet up with anybody, I mean anybody who wants to come and play! It's amazing. We get together on alternating Mondays, usually in a big room at the Quinpool Education Centre in Halifax, (although this year we struggled with Monday snowstorms - and when schools are closed the QEC is closed.) We are very grateful for our space though, because it is large and open and because it is generously donated by the Halifax City Schools Music Department. Also amazing.
And we play, we do some things that Tim learned in Boston when he was studying there, we do some things I've respectfully borrow from Eddie Prevost and his workshop in the UK, and we do some Deep Listening-type exercises taught and inspired by Pauline Oliveros.
And we improvise, we take suggestions, anything is possible.
And people keep coming: some EVERY time, like Howard Harawitz, who is our senior member, sergeant at arms and freedom police guy. Whenever things get to analyzed Howard steps in and sets us straight! He's great, and I think carries the spirit of what we are trying to do along with Tim and me. Then there is Kels Joudrey, high school kid, wildcard and inspiration. He's an inspiration: shooting his mouth off, getting teased back and playing like crazy!
And the music is almost always beautiful. Sure there are duds sometimes, but often, really quite frequently, the music is miraculous: sensitive, energized and expressive. I'm amazed quite a lot.
So we get together, sometimes there are five of us, sometimes there are twelve. Usually there are eight, which is a great number, and a testament to the people, and to the need for this work even in little old Halifax.
It enriches me every time, and I really appreciate that. You should come!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Memories #1.....
Well, the 2007/2008 season is wrapping up. Our last Music on the Cheap concert is May 8 and then it's summer and we move ahead with the routine of setting up next year!
This is always a nice time, looking back on our successes and failures of the previous year. And this one marks a turning point for sL I think.
Mainly it's that I've figured out what the company does! Now this isn't as simple as it seems, believe me. Are we a series, a community movement, a gathering of musical freaks?
I can say that we are all that, and more. And I'm extremely proud of all the interesting things that we do.
Our concerts this year were the finest assemblage of musicians assembled for the series, and the results were amazing. Roots of the Moment with Eddie Prevost and Tim Crofts and myself had a week together that has changed me forever! And our concert recording is being considered by a European label for release! And if they don't release it sL will, because it was a remarkable evening of music making.
Interact was great for a few of reasons: It was a great experience to play with Monique Buzzarte and Andrew Duke, it was part of the Oscillations Festival of Electroacoustic Music which was fun to put together with Steve Naylor and Bob Bauer, AND it was recorded by CBC for broadcast, so listen for that on The Signal this summer!
And finally Organism, was a joy! The combination of Rob Power, Daniel Heikalo and Chris Church (and me) was fantastic. We hit the nail on the head for new sounds, freedom in our music making, surprises and general hilarity! We were laughing as we played, which to me, is an ultimate expression of music. I can't wait to hear the recording of that one.
When I can assemble such excellent musicians and people and play free music with them, and be able to show our work to a bunch of people, I feel like a lucky guy. What an honour it is to be able to work with these people, I feel like I learn and grow a great deal with each concert.
Stay tuned for future postings about suddenlyLISTEN's other fun work of this season!
This is always a nice time, looking back on our successes and failures of the previous year. And this one marks a turning point for sL I think.
Mainly it's that I've figured out what the company does! Now this isn't as simple as it seems, believe me. Are we a series, a community movement, a gathering of musical freaks?
I can say that we are all that, and more. And I'm extremely proud of all the interesting things that we do.
Our concerts this year were the finest assemblage of musicians assembled for the series, and the results were amazing. Roots of the Moment with Eddie Prevost and Tim Crofts and myself had a week together that has changed me forever! And our concert recording is being considered by a European label for release! And if they don't release it sL will, because it was a remarkable evening of music making.
Interact was great for a few of reasons: It was a great experience to play with Monique Buzzarte and Andrew Duke, it was part of the Oscillations Festival of Electroacoustic Music which was fun to put together with Steve Naylor and Bob Bauer, AND it was recorded by CBC for broadcast, so listen for that on The Signal this summer!
And finally Organism, was a joy! The combination of Rob Power, Daniel Heikalo and Chris Church (and me) was fantastic. We hit the nail on the head for new sounds, freedom in our music making, surprises and general hilarity! We were laughing as we played, which to me, is an ultimate expression of music. I can't wait to hear the recording of that one.
When I can assemble such excellent musicians and people and play free music with them, and be able to show our work to a bunch of people, I feel like a lucky guy. What an honour it is to be able to work with these people, I feel like I learn and grow a great deal with each concert.
Stay tuned for future postings about suddenlyLISTEN's other fun work of this season!
Monday, April 21, 2008
The sLog
Running a small arts organization is quite an adventure. Making it possible to make the art I want is a big job, so I thought I'd jump into the 21st century and blog about it.
I hope this chronicle will make people more aware of the work of suddenlyLISTEN, the fun we have, the great concerts we give, and some background on how it all comes about.
So we are now just about finished the 2007/2008 season, plans are being cemented for 08/09, grants are being written, dates are being hammered out, books are being updated, numbers crunched, mostly by me!
Ouch.
Well not really ouch because of the great help that I do get from Andrea Ritchie and Strategic Arts Management. Because of them this season was a breeze compared to some! A huge relief, and a great assistance.
So why not add to the workload and drop a note online once in a while? Stay tuned, thanks for reading.
I hope this chronicle will make people more aware of the work of suddenlyLISTEN, the fun we have, the great concerts we give, and some background on how it all comes about.
So we are now just about finished the 2007/2008 season, plans are being cemented for 08/09, grants are being written, dates are being hammered out, books are being updated, numbers crunched, mostly by me!
Ouch.
Well not really ouch because of the great help that I do get from Andrea Ritchie and Strategic Arts Management. Because of them this season was a breeze compared to some! A huge relief, and a great assistance.
So why not add to the workload and drop a note online once in a while? Stay tuned, thanks for reading.
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