Composition Tag

by Brianna Jaeger As musicians, we often get asked the question, “Who is your favorite composer?” And the person asking usually anticipates a response such as, “Beethoven, Bach, Liszt, or Chopin.” I always love the look on people’s faces when I respond with, “Olivier Messiaen, Kaija Saariaho, Viktor Ullmann, or Richard Pressley.” This typically leads to a discussion on modernist theories, avant-garde arts, and new music. I find that...

Read More

by Robert Fisher, Catoctin School of Music As we pass over the year anniversary since the world was flipped upside down in a global pandemic, the need to communicate and express the gambit of our emotions and experiences grows more paramount. With many ensembles and venues shuttered, many musicians face a seemingly uncertain season wondering when the next performance will take place or what future seasons...

Read More

by Robert Fisher, Catoctin School of Music With the start of a new year and the first anniversary since the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, most of us have been forced to embrace new norms in virtual teaching, rehearsing, and performing music online. Whether it be through Zoom or any number of teleconferencing applications and technologies, most educators have embraced (albeit, forced to embrace) a...

Read More

For any kind of performers, there is room for mistakes, and some arts are more gentle about it than others depending on the context and the particular feeling that is being comunicated. In music, mistakes have the potential of being quite magical, wether it is during composition or a live performance, there is something about it that moves the way music works in an unexpected fun...

Read More

Delivering a message is one of the most important accomplishments in music, because it’s not just about saying something, through music you create something that is not just understood, it’s about something that can be felt, and in some ways establish a connection between the composer and the listener. In the end this is one of the most honest goals of a musician, to be able...

Read More