Andre Myers- composer, musician, educator
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Murphy on the Central Coast

3/28/2013

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As promised!
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Cadenza & Aria

3/12/2013

 
Greetings from Carmel, California! Andrea is here for a conference, and, as the dates for her trip coincided with my spring holiday, I'm glad I could tag along. California's central coast is really the best of both worlds, with both the sun from the south of the state and the milder temperatures of the north. It's a nice place to wind down. We haven't yet run into Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood used to be the mayor of the town), but I'm keeping my eyes peeled. 

The Deubner-Fauchet duo finished their Los Angeles residency at Occidental with a wonderful concert that included the premiere of my work for Brett, Cadenza & Aria. The work is technically demanding and emotionally taxing, but the duo performed it in a way that made it worthwhile for the audience. For this and so much more, I remain grateful to them for their commitment to the piece. Thank you Brett and Thank you Caroline! Pics of Murphy on the coast to come!
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p.s. Here's a YouTube video where I talk some about the impetus of the work. This was at Brett's request, but it may be good to do more of these for future works. What do you think?

Deubner-Fauchet Residency 

3/9/2013

 
The Deubner-Fauchet duo has had a wonderful two days here at Oxy, and cap off their residency tonight with a concert in Bird Studio at 7:30pm. It's been such a joy watching them work. They premiered four compositions by Oxy student-composers Thursday afternoon, providing feedback during a dynamic and engaged public workshop. I especially liked that the duo requested scores of the student works be projected as the pieces were played. This allowed for the audience to follow along, bringing them into the rehearsal process. It's always a delight when professional musicians like Brett and Caroline make their prodigious talents accessible to students, and they've done just that for the students here. 

Prior to their premiering the work at Cal State L.A., I had the chance yesterday to hear my commission from Brett, Cadenza & Aria for the first time. I'm so grateful that they've put in the time and effort to make such a challenging work sound effortless. And it was really nice to hear Caroline on piano; she plays the piece with a wonderful sensitivity that on the surface may seem to belie her strength and power as a pianist. Upon close listening however, one can't help but notice that such subtlety requires a strong and determined musical mind. 

These words, and the sentiments behind them, would be hyperbolic were it not for the many hours of time and effort musicians like Brett and Caroline put into shaping a phrase, or contextualizing that phrase within a piece; if they did not stand on stage after stage with bright and sharp lights on them and demonstrate their determination, time and again, to shape a musical experience from scratches and scraps on a page. But the fact of the matter is there were some harrowing moments that led to the good of the past two days, and I know that I'm grateful for their journey with Cadenza & Aria, and with all the works on tonight's program. Their musical journeys help affirm and shape my own. 
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Amanda Palmer: The art of asking

3/4/2013

 
This talk represents a fundamental paradigm shift in the way musical artists and listeners interact. Interactions between celebrities and their "lowly" listeners are being left behind with other outdated and a-functional sensibilities of the Romantic Era. Palmer moves us right into the matrix of thriving in the Digital age. 

The Viola in My Life

3/3/2013

 
March is upon us dear reader, and clouds here hint at rain while searching the skies of the California desert. Seasonal changes are subtle in this part of the world, but discernible just the same if we keep our eyes and ears open for them. 

As we move into Spring, I'm pleased to be working again with another pair of wonderful musical artists. I've known violist Brett Deubner since we were both students at Eastman, and, for the last few years, I have enjoyed composing music for him; my work for him is unlike anything I've previously written. Brett is that rare musician whose playing is at once sensitive and strong, muscular and filled with longing. There is a wonderful muskiness to the musical work of a good violist--a soulful earthiness that lingers in one's memory long after the final notes of a good piece have been performed. And in Brett's playing one can smell the sound of wet earth.

His talents will be on display this upcoming Saturday when he and pianist Caroline Fauchet premiere my Cadenza & Aria at Occidental College. It is an intense piece, with an angry protagonist that, in his search for peace, stumbles his way to a ragged stillness. The concert is free, and I hope you will join us. 

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    Walter says:

    "Wear your mask & practice social distancing. Together, we can defeat Covid 19!"
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    Charlotte says:

    "Literacy in Music & Arts is one of your vital links to global citizenship!"
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    Murphy says:

    "Be sure to support the arts in *your* community!"

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