To further my attempt at discussing inspiration (blog entry August 1, 2008), I quote Peter Malone, who writes that “influence and inspiration make an uneasy pair.  Inspiration is the recognition of something perhaps already present in the deepest self, and in any case only knowable intimately.”  By contrast, “influence is a force that may spring […]

[Read more →]

Kudos to soprano Jessica Cain and cellist Stephen Marotto of the University of Connecticut at Storrs, and pianist Nathaniel Baker of the Hartt School, for their impassioned performance of my piece “Wolf” last Wednesday afternoon in Hartford.  It not only showed a high degree of preparation and conviction, but offered encouragement to other young musicians […]

[Read more →]

George Cacioppo was born in the same year as my dad, in Monroe, Michigan.  He was a great composer, a charter member of the ONCE group, head of the WUOM radio station, and an intermittent professor in the school of music there.  He studied with Ross Lee Finney, among others, and at Tanglewood was a […]

[Read more →]

This is another FAQ that I hear.  To answer it, I might cite the two extremes.  There’s the school of thought that says the composer does him/herself a disservice by being concerned with audience reception, that you’re first and foremost writing for you.  You can’t worry about who’s going to like it, the important thing […]

[Read more →]

Another question commonly asked. I’ve been blessed with the privilege of having some of the finest ensembles in the world present my music, and of having many other equally dedicated and amazingly skilled musicians (some still in the students years) perform it as well. No matter who it is, and no matter how much preparation […]

[Read more →]

No. Strangely enough it’s the same, if not more difficult. I learn the score just as I would any other, making decisions about fingering, phrasing, fine articulation, going over the gnarly spots endlessly, etc. It might be a little easier to memorize, but that trades off with the problem of having to correct bad habits […]

[Read more →]