Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Earplay; Fireworks New Music Ensemble

EARPLAY
(Taken from their web site)
For more than two decades in San Francisco, Earplay's passionate group of performers and composers has been dedicated to creating new chamber music, nurturing both emerging and well-known composers, and seeking out exciting new works.

Earplay's music is lyrical and ferocious, modern and Romantic, finely honed and accessible. Subscribe to Earplay's 21st season to hear all new music. Every piece on every concert is a World, U.S., West Coast, or Bay Area premiere. For each season subscription you purchase, receive a complimentary ticket to our post-concert receptions. For more information go to http://www.earplay.org.


FIREWORKS NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE
(Taken from their web site)
Hailed as “the hottest new classical band in New York,” Fireworks – Jennifer Grim (flute), Michael Ibrahim (saxophone), Oren Fader (guitar), Jennifer Choi (violin), Leigh Stuart (cello), James Johnston (keyboards), Brian Coughlin (bass), and Eric Poland (percussion) – combines the subtlety and depth of classical chamber music with the freedom of jazz and the power and energy of rock.

Rooted in the classical tradition, Fireworks embraces great music from all cultures, periods, and styles as dialects of a single musical language, and as vital, living art. Fireworks' mission is to help masterworks from across the musical spectrum find new and larger audiences, and to create and nurture a canon of great new music by today's composers.

Cultivating the most diverse repertoire of any contemporary music ensemble, Fireworks is at home with any audience in any musical setting. The ensemble's remarkable arrangements and interpretations of music by composers from around the world, ranging from Bach to Ellington to Aphex Twin to Piazolla, provide a contemporary and unbiased entrée into these masterpieces for new listeners, and a fresh perspective on time-honored classics for established audiences.

A strong voice for today's composers, Fireworks actively commissions and fearlessly champions new works. Since its inception in 2000, the ensemble has premiered over 50 pieces by both established and emerging composers including Glenn Branca, Robert Carl, and Nick Didkovsky. Fireworks' flexible instrumentation, openness to music in all of its diverse forms, and dedication to presenting contemporary works at the highest level provides today's composers with the greatest freedom of expression for their ideas.

They are represented by MCM Artists. For more information go to http://www.fireworks-ensemble.org/main.htm

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

KMVT Community TV; Compasspoint

KMVT COMMUNITY TELEVISION
As many of you are aware, Mountain View has its own community television station, cable 15. They are a non-profit organization and have programming everyday that runs the gamut: local sports games to HealthTalk to Indian Vegetarian Gourmet. (See www.kmvt15.org for additional programming information.) They also offer nonprofit media solutions at - they like to say - "twice the quality at half the cost." I'm talking to them about possibly filming our concert in December as well as capturing our organization's heart & soul for promotional purposes. Please take a moment to get to know this wonderful asset in the Mountain View community.

COMPASSPOINT
This is the organization that sponsored the 'Nonprofit Day' that I attended a week ago. They have tons of resources at their website to look at: www.compasspoint.org. In particular, I recommend you check out the funders directory for the Silicon Valley at the following link: http://www.compasspoint.org/funders/index.php?pid=126. Lots of useful information here.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Booking Conferences; Horn Workshops

BOOKING CONFERENCES
The term 'booking conference' refers to 5 or so major conferences in our industry. While there are a lot more, these 5 cover most of the places where chamber music groups like ourselves can get noticed. They are the Western Arts Alliance, Midwest Arts, Performing Arts Federation, Arts Presenters, and Chamber Music America. Groups showcase at them (see Tuesday@2; 4/11/06) and sell themselves and their products on exhibit floors. Not a lot of business takes place, but a lot of contacts are made in a short period of time. At the next board meeting, we'll be deciding whether QUADRE should have a booth at the upcoming Western Arts Alliance conference in September at Long Beach's convention center.

HORN WORKSHOPS
Since our group is made up of entirely horn players (duh), horn workshops are another great place for us to gain exposure. Typically 50-400 people gather for these workshops. There are recitals, masterclasses, vendors, and lots of chances to connect with your colleagues and peers. QUADRE was a featured artist at the 2000 Southeast Horn Workshop in Alabama. I also gave a lecture on our industry at the 2003 International Horn Symposium in Indiana. Just a few minutes ago, QUADRE was invited to perform at the next Western US Horn Symposium in Las Vegas at the end of October, 2006. This is truly exciting news. They heard our latest CD and would be thrilled to have us come out. While the details still need to be worked out, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to perform for our peers.