Finishing the Music....

I am putting the finishing touches on the last piece I plan on putting on my recital - a neoclassical type thing for solo trumpet and string ensemble.

YAY! Then I get to start recital planning, and finding players, and designing posters and programs, etc.

Let's watch me go crazy!

Becoming a Conductor

I am taking a conducting class this semester with Kathy FitzGibbon.  While I already knew many beat patterns, I have never needed the other aspects of conducting like left hand involvement, facial expressions, any other communication to make your ensemble express you deepest thoughts through the music.

I have this nodding problem...I really seem to have no control over it.  Kathy films all of our conducting in class, and it's painful to watch my head bobbing up and down ALL of the TIME!!  Then we get to write a review/reflection of how we did and the comments that we got from Kathy and our peers.

Today, I think I may have actually beat the bobbing - I haven't watched the video yet, but I put a LOT of concentration into not bobbing.  It probably helped that the piece was in one and that I was staring down the door-knob in the back of the room.

I love conducting, and when I'm by myself practising, everything seems great.  When I get up in front of our makeshift ensemble, I get really nervous and have a hard time implementing everything I practised.

Some things comes very naturally, others are incredibly difficult.  Hopefully, I will overcome the challenges currently and any more that develop throughout the semester, and someday I will be an amazing conductor!

A New Conductor

Jeff - we haven't seen him this fancy yet

Much to our surprise, this year brought the advent of a new age for the Lewis & Clark College orchestra with the addition of Dr. Jeff Specht to the Music Department Faculty.

Jeff is from Minnesota - like me, YAY!!! - and has studied many disciplines in music.  When he conducts, you can tell he plays tuba, which is kind of funny.

I think Jeff is leading the LC orchestra to a new era of greatness!!!  In two rehearsals I feel we've accomplished more than we did in months with the last conductor.


I'm excited to work with him this year as a player and aspiring conductor (because the more people you play under, the better at reading cues you become and the more examples you have to work with for your own conducting!!)!

Bethel Music Camp - Under the Sea

It is over, and it was AMAZING!

we ended up with 24 campers (with limited staff, we probably couldn't have handled anymore)

we divided them into 3 groups & each group produced a music video and a skit for the Thursday Night parents' program.
SO many of the parents are already asking when camp will be next year!  Right now, Angie & I don't even know if there will be a camp because we have no idea what's going on next summer!!

Anyway, it was a lot of work, but it was fun while it lasted

The End is Nigh

My spring semester is quickly coming to an end...and I'm loosing steam.  Summer is fast approaching, and I have camp to finish planning among other fun summer things.  I have two science finals next week, but I am basically finished with my music history project (just have to finish a couple measures of orchestration and write a poem)

I am curious to know what music you listen to in attempt to keep yourself chugging down that academic track.  Artists, genre, a specific bpm?  Do you have a playlist? etc.

Ravel's String Quartet

Copyright 2011 Chrissy Misso.  Click for larger image

My favourite movement of the quartet is the second (Assez vif – Très rythmé), and although my favourite recording is the one on the CD I have from the Alexander String Quartet, I have posted the performance by the Hagen Quartet.  I have a visual poem-like thing that I feel embodies my response to the movement - think of the words as lyrics to the pizzicato melody.

ENJOY!! 

“In here can be found those well wrought, yet sensual melodies, amazing range of tone color, vibrant rhythm and touch of the exotic that characterizes Ravel’s music” (Joseph Way, programme notes 1994) 

Wozzeck

After watching the final scenes of Alban Berg's Wozzeck (an expressionist opera; soldier driven insane, murders his wife, gets found out by the people at a bar, doesn't immediately recognise what he's done, runs to clean up after himself, drowns himself in the lake when he tries to wash off the blood) in class, we were asked to write a poem...this is what I came up with...

Blood Lake

A red sky on the lake-shore
Surrounded by a persistent tension
So dark and quiet, a man going mad
His eyes looking off into the distance
His eyes no longer looking at anything
Sense drowning in his insanity
A red knife, a bloody moon, caught red-handed
The lake takes the man as the insanity took his mind
Nature tells the story as the curtain falls
And yet the tension prevails
The curtain falls again
A child left alone in the world

The Unknown Frontier

Wide open expanse, slowly changing  yet providing stability

A separated conversation, a breakdown in communication? One against many?

A group promotes chaos, but reassuring sounds linger to hold the universe together

The traveller calls into the distance, waiting for a response

Will the chaos scare him off? or will he pursue his journey?

Among the stars and planets, the traveller sours through space and time

Among the stars and planets, chaos lurks

But even in chaos there is order, a pattern to be sought

The traveller continues his exploration across the unknown frontier

Chaos tries to rule the unknown frontier

Wide open expanse, slowly changing yet providing stability

That is the Unknown Frontier

this is a poetry response to Charles Ives' The Unanswered Question (video w/score above)

Musical Comparisons

today is my birthday and i have heard MANY renditions of Happy Birthday - solos, remixes, groups with harmony, groups that weren't in tune with each other...it's been kinda fun to compare all these performances throughout the day!!

I've shared cake, candy, and 25+ fb birthday wishes.

Here's to another year down and another years to come!

World Application of Music History...

the random things I learn in orchestra with George Skipworth and in History of Western Music have become useful beyond my studies...kinda sorta, this is a FB conversation...but I won the prise!

Sister's Friend 1: did not believe Engelbert Humperdinck was a real person when she first heard about it on "Arthur"... until now .____.

Sister's Friend 2: Humperdinck? Like Humperdinck from Princess Bride?

SF 1: Uh, maybe? he's apparently a singer of some sort

SF2: You have seen that...right? Oh, then blah to him

SF1: yeah

SF2: OK, good, because if you hadn't...

Chrissy Misso: awesome composer!
he was one of the few students of wagner's
most famous for his opera Hansel und Gretel

Julie Geweke Workman (high school orchestra teacher): Chrissy wins the prize!

Alma's Dilemma, Almshee's Heartbreak

Gil Seeley has taken over my music history class for the remainder of the semester.  On our way to the twentieth century, we took a pit stop at Mahler.  We watched a good portion of the movie "Bride of the Wind" in class today - and our assignment is to write a poem about it.  (Gil really likes to make his students write poetry in response to whatever is going on in class, so I may be posting many of those in the next few weeks.)

Anyway, the movie is about Mahler's wife, Alma.  She was about 20 years his junior, a pianist, a composer, and the most beautiful woman in Vienna.  Alma was a very outspoken and liked to break tradition.  She gave up composing when she married Mahler and grew into resenting how much of her life and self she gave to their marriage.

Here's my stream-of-conscious-esqe poem from the first hour-ish of the film written from Alma's perspective (Mahler called her Almshee).

Alma's Dilemma, Almshee's Heartbreak

Vienna carnival, intoxicating, overwhelming, promiscuous

What is the cost of breaking the rules of my society?

Simplicity wars with complexity

Traditional constraints limiting my expression, my art

Speaking my mind sometimes causes me troubles

Sometimes leading me to pleasant surprises

Talents trying to fight their way through mishap and imposed constraints

Talent meets beauty, beauty falls for the big head

Overwhelming sound, a fight for the overwhelming beauty

A symphony for the world, a symphony about the world

Tradition causes tension, changing tradition leads to inspiration

Pleasant surprises changing old pans, creating new relationships

Traditions changing with the arrival of new peoples

I gave up one love and life for another, so many sorrows unforeseen

Death of our child, the saddest melody running through our heads

His heart irreparably broken

I met a new flame to dance away my pain

His heart emotionally and physically dying

My flame burning the bridge we had built between us

Only partially rescued when we left for a new world

Letters across the ocean keep me company

He returns home frail, his vitality shrivelling from his dying heart

I don't need to go to the cemetery to remember him

New flames try to bring back by soul and vitality

The Silver Swan

I just finished writing a setting of The Silver Swan, using the text from Orlando Gibbons.  George was really excited about it - he's decided that it should be on the student composition recital on April 19th and has set out to find me performers (2-3 for each part) and has volunteered to run the rehearsals since I have such a busy schedule with my science/music double major and the numerous projects I have for the last 5 weeks of the semester.

I'm quite excited about this!! I haven't really written for choir-like setting before.  If George can help me pull it together for the recital, I hope it turns out well so I get a decent recording out of it.

It has a kinda of renaissance-y sound aside from the modern-esqe harmonies and voice-leadings I've stuck in - slowly changing chords by moving one voice at a time, playing with major and minor resolutions.  Should be an interesting ear-training exercise for the performers. Haha :)

Artist Page

 

The silver swan, who living had no note,

When death approach'd, unlock'd her silent throat;

Leaning her breast against the reedy shore,

Thus sung her first and last, and sung no more.

Farewell, all joys; O Death, come close mine eyes;

More geese than swans now live, more fools than wise

Friends of Rain Spring Concert!

From Mountain Music to the Frontier of Jazz!

March 12, 2011, 8pm, Lewis & Clark College, Evans Auditorium

Lewis & Clark College faculty new music ensemble, Friends of Rain, presents an evening of wonderful music showcasing traditional mountain music to the beginnings of jazz. Featured composers include Robert Beaser, Greg Maroney, Edgard Varèse and L&C's composition professor Michael Johanson, and local jazz player & L&C teacher Dan Balmer.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome (suggested donation $10)

There will be a small reception after the concert.

For more information, please email us or call 503.768.7460, or visit the L&C Music Department page or find us on Facebook.  We also have an ad on craigslist.

Working on a Deadline

I've been working on a string quartet of dances - it will eventually have 4 movements. I finished the fandango, and now I'm working on the waltz in hopes of finishing it before the Alexander String Quartet (pictured on the right) comes to LC to do a residency at the beginning of March. They have been visiting LC for several years doing master classes with string players and reading student string compositions.

This will be the first year I've had something for a quartet - I had been waiting to finish other composition assignments, so I would have the time to devote to a multi-movement work.

Working with a deadline is somewhat new to me...I've always had my own goals as when to finish most of my compositions, but never an externally influenced one.


I've been studying composition with George Skipworth this semester. It is really fun (and sometimes amusing)! Last lesson he had me re-play 10 measures of a transition in the waltz because he liked it so much.

George also gives me exercises to do at the end of my lesson - usually a seed that I have to build from, I have 5ish min, and then we look at it. It is interesting how it pushes your creative juices! I regularly get an assignment for the next week: I have to compose 4ish measures of something. One week it was trumpet + accompaniment (he loved that one...I think I'm going to work on that more once I finish my quartet), one week was a rhythm cell, this week the second line of a poem for SATB (I did the first line during the lesson).

Better get to work! I have less than 2 weeks to finish the waltz! (and it's not the only thing I need to do!! other homework needs to be done too!)

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ASQ will have a performance at LC on March 4th.

Percussion Spectacular

I went to Percussion Spectacular the other evening by the Oregon Symphony.

It was a really nice concert!  From my seat WAY up high in the balcony, I could almost make out the faces of faculty from my college (Greg Ewer, violin, Brett EE Paschal, percussion).  I was impressed that I heard NO ONE clap between movements!  I think it has to have been the first concert I went to where NO ONE clapped between the movements!!

The Shchedrin arrangement of Carmen featured a lot of interesting parts, some which were of great interest to me because they gave me ideas of how to write the tango movement of the string quartet I'm working on.  Without the theatre aspect, this seemed really long at point.

The main attraction of the concert was soloist Colin Currie playing a percussion concerto composed by Jennifer Higdon.
It was really interesting watching Currie race back and forth, especially after reading the program notes that mentioned how a composer has to consider travel time for a percussionist when they are playing multiple instruments.

I found it very interesting  that the soloist joined the percussion section for Gershwin's Cuban Overture.  But that wasn't quite as exciting as getting more ideas for my unfinished string quartet (the tango and chacha/salsa movements are left)

It was a nice evening out with friends - two of us went for hot chocolate before the concert - and gave me a break from my studies and usual entertainment (the television or hulu :) )

Summer Lessons

So I teach music lessons over the summer, I just got an email from a potential new student's parent...I'm kind of excited about maybe having a new student :)


If you would like to see my teaching site please visit http://harmonious.ly/teacher/musicalladybug

Planning Camp...

click to see enlarged image

so i am the camp director for a music camp at my church for this summer...there is a lot of stuff to be done.

for the next 2ish months:

• volunteer application creation
• assigning camp prep activities
• advertising

after that:

• finish the daily plan
• assign volunteer positions
• get donations for supplies & snacks/drinks
• put together camper registrations
• volunteer orientation
• find music to work on
• get craft supplies ready
• and some other stuff that i haven't thought of right now

I'm busy busy busy balancing school

and organising aspects of camp!

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Bethel Music Camp – “Under the Sea”

Come join in the musical fun August 8^th – 11^th!  Camp activities will include a wide variety of musical “need-to-knows”, such as reading clefs, some music theory, ear training & aural skills, and exposure to conducting, piano, chimes & handbells, and various other instruments.  A family potluck and program will be held in the evening on the last day of camp.  Camp is open to all children 7 & up (or completing the 1^st grade in June). 

Dates: Monday, August 8^th – Tuesday, August 11^th, 8am – 4:45pm*

Registration due July 31^st (but please return as soon as possible!) Camp Fee: $12

Registration Forms are available in the Bethel Office and on the
music concert/events page (http://www.bethellutheran.com/music/schedules.htm)

For more information, please contact:

 Chrissy Misso, Camp Director, or Angie Misso, Assistant Director
 (bethelmusiccamp@gmail.com) or Gary Thorn (thorn@bethellutheran.com)

* We can make arrangements to watch your child for some time before or after camp if necessary,

please indicate such needs when you submit your child’s registration.

**Parents & High-School Students (& older): Please contact us if you would like

to volunteer your time and/or efforts to  Bethel Music Camp