Today we welcomed two composition students from the conservatory in nearby Udine, Stefano and Andrea. This was a wonderful opportunity to share musical ideas and styles from very different perspectives. Today is crunch day…pieces are due tomorrow morning, ready to be copied and handed out to performers. So far, it looks like everyone will make the deadline! We all enjoyed a terrific concert tonight, performed by Monte, Spencer and Jessica. In addition to sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms, we heard the wonderful “Madrigals” by Bohuslav Martinu, a favorite work of... Read The Rest →

Caldissimo…that’s the word of the day–very hot. I’m spending as much time as possible in some of the cooler buildings on campus. The composers are all working hard to get their pieces in shape for our Friday morning deadline. As previously mentioned, I have been working on a project myself, “Among the Angels,” for voice and electronics. I’m using the first line of Rilke’s first Duino Elegy, in the original German as well as English and Italian translations. I’m using PureData (PD), an open source, interactive music program that I’ve... Read The Rest →

Another working day at the composition program at IMFA. We have an initial deadline of Thursday to have our works sketched out, and a deadline of Friday morning for music to be handed out to performers. This is the challenge of a summer music festival–to work under tight deadlines and produce the best result possible. While the students have been working on their own projects, I have also been working on a new piece for Andy Whitfield, for voice and electronics. Taking a cue from the surroundings, I’ve been working... Read The Rest →

High of 90 and 65% humidity–that’s the forecast for the week. In other words, it’s hot and sticky here. Fortunately, there is a nice breeze off the Adriatic, which helps cool the air, especially at night. This morning, we said goodbye to our friends Mark and Nancy Gruett, former members of the Deutsche Oper chorus. They’ve been IMFA groupies for the past week, attending concerts and classes and offering sessions for the students. It’s been wonderful to have them here and we all look forward to keeping in touch with... Read The Rest →

Although there is usually plenty of free time at IMFA, it feels especially good to take a day off today (at least, for the faculty!). I went to the beach this morning for a quick swim in the Adriatic, had a light breakfast, did some work on a composition project (more on this later), and then seven of us ventured into the rural area around Duino in search of the place to experience “osmice.” This is a tradition dating back to the days of Maria Theresa where local farmers can... Read The Rest →

Today was possibly our busiest day at IMFA thus far. We began with our second concert in the Duino castle. In addition to chamber music, one of our composers, Evan Twichell, played a solo piano work to great interest and acclaim. I had not been inside the castle before today, and I found it to be endlessly interesting, with lots of rooms full of displays, including a large historical instrument collection. Most interesting to me were a strange questionnaire completed by a visiting Mark Twain, a sketch from Mahler’s Third... Read The Rest →

Back to Trieste for the second day in a row, this time for a concert at the Museo Teatrale. We had a small but appreciate crowd. There were some wonderful exhibits in the museum, including costumes worn by famous singers and various ephemera from composers and conductors. I always enjoy seeing composers’ handwriting, even if it’s just a signature. After the concert, a number of students stayed in Trieste to explore. The faculty and a few students returned to Duino for a late dinner and gelato. The weather has turned... Read The Rest →

Having conquered the organ, we now move into the last phase of the composition program at IMFA, in which the students all work on individual projects of their own choosing. Two of them, Jamie and Evan, have chosen to use sections of Rilke’s first elegie as a starting point, while Ben is adapting a section of Joyce’s novella “The Dead” and Neil is working on a Duino-inspired work for piano and electronics. Their pieces will need to be done in about 1 week, to give time for rehearsals. Several faculty... Read The Rest →

On Saturday, we will travel as a group to Udine, a city northwest of Duino. Our destination is a baroque church where we will offer a concert. The composition studio is contributing a piece, mentioned in the previous post. To help us get a sense of the organ as an instrument, we were able to spend some time with the organ ath San Giovanni Battista, a church that is just a short walk from the UWC campus, on the other side of the castle. This is a small, single manual... Read The Rest →

I got lost in Venice this Tuesday. It wasn’t the kind of lost where I couldn’t find my way back, but the kind where I didn’t know where I was and I didn’t care. My friends and I saw sights, ate some food, and explored. We spent a long time by one of the water paths just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. I’ve been running up a mountain path with some of my friends and a couple professors every day. I also discovered some new parts to the hidden... Read The Rest →