Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Angel's Harp Dec 24 @ 9 am SLT

The Angel's Harp
December 24, 9 am SECOND LIFE TIME
Innovation InfoIsland



Christmas harp that is more than "just the twinkley bits" as this virtuoso of the instrument shows us!

BIO:
Mihangel (Angel) is proud to be one of the rare breed of harpist who happen to be male!

Living in Wales and working across the globe, he is an accomplished performer, who has played since he was five years old, plays both the Welsh lever and orchestral harp, he has worked hard to show the breadth of his instrument.

Playing a fairly wide repetoire - from traditional Welsh folk music, pure classical pieces by Debussey et al to the more complicated works to Karl Davies and Salzedo, Angel has performed in many of the worlds larger venues - Millenium Centre,Cardiff; Royal Albert Hall, London; Sydney Opera House, Sydney to name but a few.

Angel has recorded with several orchestras and ensembles and hopes to release a solo album of his work soon.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Schumann Duo Dec 23 @ 2pm SLT



The Schumann Duo reprises their annual holiday concert as the special guests of Music Island. Kahuna Schumann will use every member of the oboe family during this warm and educational family concert.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Solstice Celebration Dec. 22 @ 6:30 pm SLT

The celebration of the returning light is older than Christianity and more universal than western culture. AldoManutio Abruzzo has a way of blending the latest in electronic wizardry with his roots in early music and his Buddhist meditative experience. The results are unique and transformative.




Join us

Friday, December 18, 2009

Duo Appassionato, The Four Seasons Dec. 19 @ 12 pm SLT

The Duo began playing one concerto from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", at the peak of each season during 2009, starting with "Winter" on New Years Day 2009. Now as the year draws to a close, suspense has grown throughout all of SL... we will finally be able to hear the full work. What a fitting way to finish up the musical year in Second Life! The name of the duo says it all about the passionate love of music that is apparent in their performances. Join us on beautiful Music Island for a great afternoon concert.

Because of the high interest in this program, there have been several concerts scheduled throughout SL, giving audiences a choice of dates, times and settings.

This concert on Music Island will be one of the last opportunities to join in this memorable moment in SL musical history. Music Island is where Duo Appassionato first performed in SL about 18 months ago. Their long association with the series has shaped events, raised the bar for classical performances in Second Life and continued a tradition of informative, approachable presentation of music in an inclusive atmosphere.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

THURSDAY DECEMBER 17 @ 12 PM The Last Storm



Multimedia Experience "Storm in a Teacup" with Christine Montgomery and R0bin Helsinki bids adieu to the Music Island audience with one last opportunity to experience the work with the composer and photographer as guides.

First launched in June, several hundred avatars cycled through the journey and many more have viewed the video online. By popular demand the composer and photographer will be hosting one last opportunity to experience the work in its entirety before it is retired.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Students of Thom Dowd to play, 8 a.m. pst Sunday 13 December 2009


(reposted with permission from Thom Dowd's Renaissance and Baroque Recorders)
MUSIC OR DIE
RECORDER QUARTET
MUSIC ISLAND SL

All of our favorite Christmas songs played by a group of young musicians. Please come and share this special moment with us at Music Island in Secondlife. Concert begins 8 a.m. pst, 11 a.m. est.

AUDIO STREAM to put in Quicktime or Itunes is http://38.96.148.45:8888/

Amelie Wantz, Olivia Tettü, Fabienne Baumann and Jonas Fragniere



  • Es flog ein Täublein weisse Geistliches Volkslied um 1602

  • Es ist ein Ros entsprungen Köln 1599

  • In dulci jubilo Wittenberg 1529

  • Lieb Nachtigall, wach aus Bamberger Gesangbuch um 1670

  • Lobe den Herrn Joachim Neander; Stralsund 1665

  • The Holly and the Ivy England

  • Campana sobre Campana Spanien

  • We wish you a Merry Christmas USA

  • Whence, o Shepherd Maiden Kanada

  • Il est né le devin enfant Frankreich

  • Ein Kindelein so löblich Finnland

  • Noël chantons ici Frankreich, 15. Jh.

  • Fum, Fum, Fum, Spanien, Katalonien)

  • Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord Jester Hairstone / Frank Farian / Fred Jay

  • Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree John Marks

  • Mistletoe And Wine Leslie Stewart / Jeremy Paul, Keith Strachan

  • Winter Wonderland Dick Smith / Felix Bernard)

  • Stille Nacht Joseph Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber


Friday, December 11, 2009

Cindy Esksol, December 12 @ 12 pm Second Life Time


Cindy is cooking up an old time Christmas kitchen party with songs, autoharp and fiddle, so get out your spoons and clogging shoes and join in.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Holiday Line-up at Music Island

MUSIC ISLAND HOLIDAY CONCERT SCHEDULE
2009


THURSDAY DEC 10 @ 4:30 pm
DUO APPASSIONATO
THE FOUR SEASONS @ Virtually Speaking

The Duo began playing one concerto from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", at the peak of each season during 2009, starting with "Winter" on New Years Day 2009. Now as the year draws to a close, suspense has grown throughout all of SL... we will finally be able to hear the full work in a series of concerts in all major SL classical venues during December.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 12 @ 12 PM SLT
Cindy Ecksol, traditional song, fiddle and autoharp
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Christmas roots music that will warm you to your soul. Cindy Ecksol has been making and teaching music with voice, autoharp, fiddle and a variety of other instruments for as long as she can remember. She is particularly interested in traditional music of many varieties, and her repertoire includes everything from Irish tunes and Israeli dance music played on autoharp to dark Appalachian fiddle tunes from the mountains of West Virginia. But her playful side can't resist amusing modern songs about real life, which somehow co-exist with folk songs from long ago. A concert set from Cindy is always a collection of eclectic surprises bound together by a common theme that suits the occasion.





SUNDAY DECEMBER 13 @ 8 am
JUST "DYING FOR CHRISTMAS"
Music Island
"Music or Die Flute" Ensemble
Students of Thom Dowd from the Fribourg Conservatory, Switzerland combine forces in a mighty flute ensemble whose name says it all. Another "Flutes on Fire" concert!

Sunday Dec 13 @ 12 pm
Mihangel Thespian, harp
The Angel's Harp
"Music Island, Sea Turtle Island




Golden tones of celtic and orchestral harp in the hands of a master of the instrument.

DECEMBER 15 TO 23 SOLSTICE FESTIVAL (Mainstage Concerts as below)

TUESDAY DECEMBER 15
LUDWIG'S Seasons (Photography Opening)
Cedar Island and Music Island
Photographer, Ludwig Veliz captures small perfect moments in nature. He has selected a very few photos for each of the Four Seasons in harmony with the Solstice festival.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 19 @ 12 PM SLT
Duo Appassionato
THE FOUR SEASONS
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
The Duo began playing one concerto from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", at the peak of each season during 2009, starting with "Winter" on New Years Day 2009. Now as the year draws to a close, suspense has grown throughout all of SL... we will finally be able to hear the full work in a series of concerts in all major SL classical venues during December

SUNDAY DECEMBER 20 @ 12 PM SLT
Naftali Torok, fiddle
SEASONS OF THE WORLD
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
European folk traditions celebrating the seasons of earth.

also a POSSIBLE LIVE CONCERT by NAFTALI'S Balkan Folk group Dec. 29 (stay tuned)

MONDAY DECEMBER 21 @ 8 AM
Benito Flores, piano
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
Classical and devotional works from one of SL's most accomplished classical pianists.

TUESDAY DECEMBER 22 @ 6:30 PM
AldoManutio Abruzzo
SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
Mysterious and magical preparations are afoot. Prepare to be inspired and surprised. New Age ambient music and multimedia art.

7:30 PM (post concert)SOLSTICE DRUM CIRCLE AND BONFIRE

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 23 @ 2 pm
Schumann Duo
Holiday at home with the Schumanns
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
Seasonal oboe and piano program from the esteemed duo, who also host their own wonderful series at Amadora concert hall.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Zachh Cale, "Gather 'round the piano" Saturday December 5 @ 12 pm SLT


Zachh Cale, piano
Saturday December 5
12 pm SECOND LIFE TIME (Pacific Time)

Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

What is the holidays without music?

Time was that people would gather 'round the piano and enjoy holiday music and good cheer. The wonderful thing about Second Life is the way that people from around the world are creating their own entertainment and gathering together virtually re-discovering simple pleasures. So turn off the TV and gather 'round the piano with Zachh and the Music Island audience this Saturday.

Thoughts on Second Life Groups

There is no better way to advertise events in Second Life than through SL groups but damn it, Linden Labs limits us to just 25 groups. Given that we need a few groups likely to manage land permissions for our homes, stores and group projects, that leaves very few slots open for keeping up with groups that interest us.

I understand the arguments for limiting groups. With groups being capable of determining land permissions, each group spot adds to the potentional information that Second Life needs to process to determine who can rez objects or build in certain parcels. Adding groups would mean fewer avatars could be accommodated on a server.

But who says there has to only be one kind of group? Couldn't Linden Labs create a newsgroup category that was only for notices? This is just a thought. A lot of us are resorting to mail services like Subscribe-o-matic that potentially cost us money in order to to reach people interested in keeping up to date on our products or events but who lack the group slots to join. This means sending out messages to two lists, group members and list members. It is not only a waste of our time in broadcasting but it is another list to check when you are inviting members to your group. Are they already members? Have they joined the Subscribe list? One doesn't want to spam people with group invites who have already signed up to a list.

This week I had three things happen that made me think about groups: how we invite group members, how we use groups, what is fair to ask group owners to broadcast through their groups.


I have a greeter at Music Island and periodically, usually after concerts, I review the list of visitors and send group invitations to individuals who have visited the island in the past few days. I try not to send people already in the group or on the subscribe list by cross-referencing. This work takes me a couple of hours each week but has help me build and maintain a group of about 1400 SL residents (all of whom have logged on in the past year as I clear the group of inactive accounts monthly). About 10% of the people I send invitations to accept the invite and each week a few people leave the group, presumably because other things interest them more and they are up against the 25 group limit. Only by constant work does the group grow. Passive group joiners yield very few group members in my experience.

For the first time in more than a year of sending group invitations I had someone complain about my invitation. The lady, Aliciea Mistwood, first accused me of "spamming her techno club" assuming I was in her club and sending out invites to all in attendance there. When I expressed puzzlement and said that I was sending invites to people who had been at the venue during a weekend of concerts she remembered that she had visited to "check out" Music Island and the series offerings. She still felt that sending her an invite was inappropriate and said that she must have been "tagged" in some way. I failed to understand her usage of the term "tagged" in reference to a simple greeter script that is in use throughout SL by venues and merchants alike.

To me an invitation is a pleasant offering even when one declines. It is nothing that should cause hostility or upset but in this case I had a very angry person. I wonder if others feel that way about group invites?

The other two thought-provoking incidents involved people whom I know and like asking me to publicize something on the Music Island group that had nothing to do with the purpose of the group. In the first case I was asked to promote a day long benefit event featuring popular/rock performers at another venue not associated with Music Island. In fact one of the concerts was in conflict to a Music Island concert. When I explained that the group was generally only for concerts at Music Island or affiliated with Music Island (festivals and series offered collaboratively) the individual argued from the standpoint of the worthiness of the cause. There are many worthy causes in Second Life and I wish them all well but they need to be promoted to audiences that will be interested in the event. Later the same week I was asked to send out notice about a US only political announcement to be made in Second Life. The Music Island audience is not US based and is not organized to discuss political initiatives.

I think that members of the Music Island group appreciate that they will only receive notices about classical and art music events coordinated as part of that series with our particular stamp of inclusiveness. I believe that if I bowed to pressure to publicize anything and everything that came my way, it would become a group without focus first and a group without members second.

I welcome thoughts on this as I am trying to frame a policy for the Music Island group that assures a good-sized audience for musicians performing on the series without harassing people to join. I also want our series to be open to cross-promotions and collaborations with colleagues while not annoying group members with totally irrelevant postings.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Five Centuries of the Classical Guitar Dec. 3 @ 1 pm SLT


Fingersatz Barbosa
1 pm SLT
From Bach to Django Rheinhardt and samplings from the centuries between performed by a modern virtuoso of the frets.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The pianist Music Island audiences know as "Benito Flores" to make North American premiere through Music Island connection

Alessandro Marangoni, (SL Benito Flores) will be appearing next October 2010 for his North American debut, opening a prestigious Toronto chamber series with a solo recital.



His talent is fundamentally what fueled this successful step along his career path. His affable concerts, love of Second Life and effective links between his RL and Second Life careers all made this possible.



About a year ago, Toronto Star critic, John Terauds gave Alessandro's new Rossini CD a rave review. I sought John out at a concert he was attending as a critic and told him of Alessandro's "secret identity" as a Second Life performer. After a series of emails back and forth, John was able to attend a Second Life performance (albeit not Benito's) and he wrote a great little article about music in Second Life. Benito was able to connect with him via telephone to give him his thoughts about SL music.



This was the beginnings of an idea for a series of concerts here in North America. Well we are still looking for additional activity, I have two contracts in hand for Benito (Alessandro), enough to build on.



I hope that this success inspires other Second Life musicians to make connections between Second Life and first life careers.



Monday, November 23, 2009

Akito Kuramoto returns November 28 @ 8:30 am SLT!!!!

Someone asked me what concert I was most looking forward to this fall recently. It was a hard question as each concert brings something that is uniquely special to it: a new performer, a much-loved selection, a novel use of SL, educational value, etc.

However, from a personal point of view, I am most looking forward to Akito's concert this coming Saturday. Akito is not only a fine violinist, his concerts inform and inspire in so many ways. Akito gave the first ever concert at Music Island and became one of my best SL friends and one of the guiding spirits of Music Island in it's formative days. His style of informal introductions of the music that combined education with personal reflections on the work, set the style which has made our concerts unique and inclusive.

The fact that Akito is an amateur musician who plays at a professional level, has inspired audience members to get up from their armchairs and pick up an instrument--either one they used to play, or one they have always wished to learn to play.

Akito has been away from SL for a hiatus of about a year now due to professional commitments. He has said that this concert will be a one-time affair, so don't miss out on one of SL's shining stars. A new member of our audience wandered into the sound check and was entranced by the sneak preview saying, "Sneaking into the sound check was better than any SL concert I've ever been at!"

Program :

- Adagio from Sonata #1 BWV 1001 for solo violin, by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
- Concerto No. 8 in A minor for two violins, by A. Vivaldi (1678-1741)
- Meditation from Thaïs, by Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
- Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041, by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
- Chaconne in G minor for violin, by T. Vitali (1663-1745)
(faure - bis)



PROGRAM NOTES about the pieces & composers
**************************************

• Adagio from Sonata #1 BWV 1001 for solo violin, by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

The Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001–1006) is a set of six works composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. It consists of three sonatas in four movements and three partitas composed of dance-based movements. The complete set was composed during the 1720 period, and first published in 1843.


• Concerto No. 8 in A minor for two violins and strings, by A. Vivaldi (1678-1741)

L'estro Armonico op. 3 ("Harmonic Inspiration" in Italian) is a collection of twelve concertos for 1, 2 and 4 violins written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1711.
It largely augmented the reputation of Vivaldi as Il Prete Rosso; (The Red Priest). The collections were mostly put together in a chronological order. These concerti are often called concerti grossi due to their use of a concertino-style ensemble (solo cello is often used).
J.S. Bach later transcribed concertos from this work for harpsichord solo (no.9, no.12), for organ solo (no.8, no.11) and for four harpsichords and strings (no.10).

L’Estro Armonico, Op.3, Concerto No. 8 in A minor for two violins and strings, RV 522
* 1. Allegro
* 2. Larghetto e spiritoso
* 3. Allegro


• "Thaïs" is an opera in three acts composed in 1894 by Jules Massenet with a French libretto by Louis Gallet, based on the novel of the same name by Anatole France.

Act 2, scene 1 :
Exhausted after the feast, Thaïs expresses dissatisfaction with her empty life and muses on the fact that one day, old age will destroy her beauty. Athanaël enters at this vulnerable moment, praying to God to conceal her beauty from him. He tells her that he loves her according to the spirit rather than the flesh, and that his love will last forever, instead of for a single night. Intrigued, she asks him to teach her the ways of this love. He nearly succumbs to her physical charm, but succeeds in explaining to her that if she converts, she will gain eternal life. She nearly succumbs to his eloquence, but then reasserts her nihilistic worldview and drives him away. However, after a long Meditation she changes her mind.


• The Violin Concerto in A minor by J. S. Bach (BWV 1041)'s 3 movements are :

* Allegro moderato
* Andante — with an ostinato style theme
* Allegro assai

(Note : the Clavier Concerto in G minor, BWV 1058, is an arrangement of this concerto with piano or harpsichord.)

The motifs of the theme of the Allegro moderato appear in changing combinations and are separated and intensified throughout the movement.

In the Andante, Bach uses an insistent pattern in the bass part that is repeated constantly in the movement. He focuses the variation in the harmonic relations.

In the final movement, Bach relies on bariolage figures to generate striking acoustic effects.


• Chaconne in G minor for violin, by T. Vitali (1663-1745)

In music, a chaconne (Italian: ciaccona) is a musical form whose primary formal feature involves variation on a repeated short harmonic progression.

Originally a quick dance-song which emerged during the late 16th century in Spanish culture, possibly from the New World, the chaconne was characterized by suggestive movements and mocking texts. By the early eighteenth century the chaconne had evolved into a slow triple meter musical form. The chaconne has been understood by some nineteenth and early twentieth-century theorists—in a rather arbitrary way—to be a set of variations on a harmonic progression, as opposed to a set of variations on a melodic bass pattern (to which is likewise artificially assigned the term passacaglia), while other theorists of the same period make the distinction the other way around.

After the baroque period, the chaconne fell into decline, though the 32 Variations in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven belong to the form.


Tomaso Antonio Vitali (March 7, 1663 –May 9, 1745) was an Italian composer and violinist from Bologna, son of Giovanni Battista Vitali. He is well-known for his Chaconne in G minor for violin and continuo, which is generally thought by musicologists to be a musical hoax (it is presumed that the composition was originally composed by German violinist Ferdinand David).

Despite its dubious provenance, the piece has been ever popular amongst violinists.

The Chaconne first came to the attention of violinists when it was published as Vitali's work in a collection of pieces (Die Hoch Schule des Violinspiels) edited by the virtuoso and close friend of Mendelssohn, Ferdinand David, and issued in 1867.
What is known is that the stern and majestic G minor theme was extensively revised and made progressively more difficult in each successive variation, transforming it into a gripping tour de force of staggering technical difficulty. For this reason, it was selected as the opening work on the bill when Jascha Heifetz presented his debut recital at Carnegie Hall, and indeed, one could hardly imagine a more impressive curtain-raiser.
It is just as unclear whether David (who was highly regarded for his advocacy of Baroque music, largely ignored throughout the nineteenth century) wrote the Chaconne himself or possibly assembled it from a variety of motifs by obscure figures of the high Italian Baroque. But this convoluted puzzle doesn't end there. Another violin virtuoso, Frenchman Léopold Charlier, produced an alternative -- and if possible, even more taxing -- edition in 1911. Charlier not only enhanced the technical demands of the violin part, but also made significant improvements and added new harmonizations to the piano part, whilst reordering the sequence of the variations so that they become progressively more complex as this astounding piece unfolds.
One striking feature of the "Vitali" Chaconne's style is the way it wildly changes key, reaching the far-flung territories of B flat and D sharp minors, uncharacteristic of the Baroque era, and key signature changed typical only in Romanticism.





************************************

Biographical Notes:
***************
I have been presenting live violin recitals in Second Life since june 2007, and after a hiatus since july 2008 I am returning for a one-time recital today, november 28th 2009. I hope I will get the chance to perform at least several times a year in SL.

In first life, I have been studying violin in France for 26 years. I have the chance to be able to work with a great professor, who communicated me a real passion for violin. I also could study in famous international training and master-class sessions. It was a honor for me to win a few years ago, a first Prize at the international Leopold Bellan music competition in Paris.
I am now performing concerts and tours as an amateur, with various French symphonic and chamber groups, thanks to the musicians I know and meet.

I didn't choose music as a professional path and I want to keep violin in my life as a passion, but I always had the dream to become a solo performer. Second Life gives me the chance to make this dream come true.

Therefore, playing for you is a challenge and makes me very happy.

Thank you for listening !
Akito.
• http://www.myspace.com/akitokuramoto
• My SL group : Akito's Backstage List

What time is the concert in MY time?

This week a relatively new SL'er asked me what time a concert was in her time zone crediting with me with mental telepathy as I had no idea where she was in RL and also more math ability than I have to be able to convert from Second Life time to any time zone on the planet.

Later in the same weekend I received an IM from someone who I had patiently talked through time conversion with the prior week, only to have her arrive 5 hours late for the concert, not realize her mistake and message me, "I thought there was a harp concert now".

Sigh.

It may be that I have been in SL too long as I am getting a bit irritable about people who will not take responsibility for figuring out how their local time relates to Second Life time or who pout and wish that the rest of the world would accommodate to THEIR time.

We live in an international world within Second Life, and at any Music Island concert, we can expect to have people from many of the world's time zones represented. They all manage to get there at the same time because they have figured out how their local time relates to SLT (adding or subtracting the time difference) or they use a time converter or world clock widget to keep them on track.

Anyone who has had to read international flight schedules, plan an international conference call, or figure out when to call a relative in another time zone has had to do this as a routine order of business.

What is SECOND LIFE TIME?

It is Pacific Time and it is located in the upper right hand corner of your SL viewer window.

Why is it called SLT? It says PST.

Once upon a time it used to be called and labelled SLT and it has stuck.

Why are notices time-stamped with GMT if the world runs on SLT?

I have NO IDEA. Personally I wish that Linden Labs would either stop time-stamping notices totally or do two things, time stamp them in SLT and put the time stamp at the bottom of the notice well away from the time of the event and clearly labelled as a "sent" time. Currently when a notice goes out the reader sees one time listed for the event and a totally different time right underneath (the time-stamp). It is VERY confusing, but we have to learn to cope until if and when this is fixed.

How can I check SLT when I am not inworld?
Get yourself a handy-dandy desktop world clock from: http://www.timeanddate.com

I hope this helps. In the meantime I have set up two world clocks on Music Island so that I hope when people appear hours after the concert, they are able to review the time and make adjustments for the future.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Mihangel Thespian Nov. 22 @ 12 pm SLT



So you think you know what harp music is like? Come and let Mihangel surprise and entertain you with all that a harp can express in the hands of a master of the instrument.

BIO:


Mihangel (Angel) is proud to be one of the rare breed of harpist who happen to be male!




Living in Wales and working across the globe, he is an accomplished performer, who has played since he was five years old, plays both the Welsh lever and orchestral harp, he has worked hard to show the breadth of his instrument.




Playing a fairly wide repetoire - from traditional Welsh folk music, pure classical pieces by Debussy et al to the more complicated works to Karl Davies and Salzedo, Angel has performed in many of the worlds larger venues - Millenium Centre,Cardiff; Royal Albert Hall, London; Sydney Opera House, Sydney to name but a few.




Angel has recorded with several orchestras and ensembles and hopes to release a solo album of his work soon.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Astronimus Randt, Nov. 19 @ 4:30 pm SLT

THURSDAY NOV. 19 @ 4:30 PM
Original jazz compositions
Electric violin & flute

@ Virtually Speaking

Astronimus began his career as a musician when he was a child, singing in choir and playing the violin. Soon after this, he picked up the guitar and began songwriting and composing. He began playing professionally at the age of 15. In college, he majored in composition and minored in applied violin. He’s worked in recording studios as a musician and in production/engineering. Astronimus has also performed in musical theatre, both on-stage and in the orchestra pit.

MUSIC ISLAND CONCERTS @ Virtually Speaking
In a new joint venture with the Virtually Speaking series featuring important thinkers of public affairs, a series of concerts will bring the global language of music to set the stage for the contemplation of important issues of our time

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Atheene Dodonpa, live @ Music Island Nov. 14, 1 pm SLT


LIVE AT MUSIC ISLAND

The haunting voice of Atheene Dodonpa thrills audiences with the sounds of early music, accompanied as needed on lap harp, hurdy gurdy or other ancient instruments. The Finnish artist has developed a considerable following among Second Life's Early Music community.

Atheene graduated from the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland. The emphasis in her career is on early music (eg. medieval, renaissance and baroque), and she has performed concerts throughout Europe and taught in several music institutes in Finland. Instruments played: Voice (soprano), recorders, symphonie, bowed psaltery, bells, kantele, medieval harp, tenor rebec and loriman pipe.

Her RL CD release can be sampled here.

Or purchased here.

Attend the concert on Music Island.
To attend concerts at Music Island you must first create a free account in Second Life

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Benito Flores at Innovation InfoIsland 8 am Thurs. Nov. 12


http://slurl.com/secondlife/Innovation%20Infoisland/190/129/23

DEDICATION: "In Memory of Italian Soldiers fallen for Peace in international missions - and to the families that mourn them"

PROGRAM:
selections from: Scarlatti * Rossini* Clementi


Brief bio:
(Alessandro Marangoni) A graduate of the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole and the Università di Pavia, Benito has also done advanced studies at the famous Almo Collegio Borromeo. The winner of national and international awards, the young pianist is a rising star in Europe with an international recording contract on the NAXOS label. His recordings and appearances have received both critical and public acclaim. Performing occasionally in Second Life for the past two years, his appearances have placed him at the top rung of professionals performing in Second Life.


For more information, please visit http://www.alessandromarangoni.com/.


About Music Island concerts @ Innovation InfoIsland.


Music Island Concerts is proud to be a part of Innovation InfoIsland. The Music Island Museum on Innovation Island houses the two year history of the popular classical and art music series as well as a space to showcase SL's best classical performers with links to their websites, streams and/or recordings.



Nel 6° anniversario della strage del 12 Novembre 2003 a Nassiriya, la comunità italiana ed internazionale di Second Life si ritrova per il terzo anno consecutivo nel ricordo dei soldati italiani caduti per la Pace.



Il programma di quest'anno vede la presenza dell'artista italiano, il pianista Alessandro Marangoni, giovane emergente talento che si è esibito anche alla Scala di Milano, che ha scelto di dedicare il suo concerto del 12 Novembre in Second Life alla memoria dei soldati italiani.



Una sobria cerimonia di commemorazione chiudera' la giornata con la deposizione di una corona d'alloro al monumento ai Caduti di Nassiriya, in Haean.



PROGRAM / PROGRAMMA:




8 AM SLT ( 17.00 ora italiana )



Concerto per pianoforte di Benito Flores - Alessandro Marangoni


musiche di Scarlatti, Rossini, Clementi
12 Novembre 2009@ 8 AM SLT
Second Life - Innovation InfoIsland
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Innovation%20Infoisland/190/129/23

1 PM SLT ( 22.00 ora italiana )

- Cerimonia di Commemorazione dei Caduti Italiani nelle missioni internazionali presso il Memorial Place "Caduti di Nassiriya".
12 Novembre 2009 @ 1 PM SLT
Second Life - Haean, Memorial Place
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Haean/53/245/84

Monday, November 2, 2009

Young Zeid plays Vivaldi's "Fall" Nov 7 @ 12 pm SLT

Music Island audiences have been hearing one of the Four Seasons throughout 2009, beginning with Winter on New Year's Day played by Izabela Jaworower, the other half of Duo Appassionato. Young and Iza have delighted us each season with another one of the four concertos that make up the famous Four Seasons suite by Vivaldi. The final installment, Fall, will be played by Young Zeid on Saturday Nov. 7 at 12 pm SLT (Pacific Time) at Music Island in Second Life.

On December 19 the Duo will take the stage to offer the whole suite to finish up the year in fine style with a classical season gift.

BIO

Xi Yang (Young Zeid in Second Life) began his distinguished music career when he was a student at the Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China where he studied both violin and viola Performance. He had his first solo debut when he was 9 years old. By the age of 12 he made an average of 200 solo appearances a year in China. He won the National Violin Competition in Shanghai and made his solo debut with the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra. He then, toured China with the Beijing Youth Symphony as a soloist and concertmaster. At the age of 17, he was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Jacques Tibaud International Violin Competition in Paris, France. The youngest violinist entered the competition for that year which earned him a place in the Encyclopedia.

Arriving in the United States, Mr. Yang won a National Strings Competition in Arkansas and has performed numerous solo recitals, chamber music concerts and gave master classes to young string players from many public schools and colleges. A graduate of Indiana University School of Music, he studied violin and chamber music ensemble, from baroque style to modern composers, under the guidance of James Buswell, Nelli Shkolnikova, Josef Gingold and Rostislav Dubinsky. "Mr. Yang has all the ability and potential to become one of the greatest solo violinists in the world today..." ( Isaac Stern 1987, Indiana University )

Mr. Yang was the Principal Violist for the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera and the Principal Viola with the Symphony of the Americas. He is also the Assistant Concertmaster and a guest conductor, soloist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. He has performed for Two Presidents of the United States, President Clinton and President Bush Snr. and been requested to perform by celebrities such as Donald Trump and Sylvester Stallone. He has collaborated with highly regarded classical artists such as Isaac Stern, Placido Domingo,Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, as well as some of the great pop stars such as Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Bary Manilow...among others.

A well established violinist and violist in the Triangle area and beyond, his students are age from 7 years old to adults. He is a member of the Arcangelo Piano Quartet www.arcangelopianoquartet.com and Duo Appassionato. www.duoappssionato.org

Fostering the next generation of musicians is important to Xi Yang. He is the founding music director and conductor of the Youth Symphony of Florida.

General information for those unfamiliar with live concerts in virtual reality. Concerts are streamed live from musicians homes or studios together with informative introductions and or notes for the audience. Virtual concerts are social and interactive. While there is no charge to attend a concert at Music Island, donations to the musicians and/or the venue are always gratefully received at the concert.

Advance listings

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Anek Fuchs, Oct. 31 @ 12 pm

All Hallow's Eve is a time when spirits walk and people light fires against the coming of the chill of winter. Join us for a concert of fire and magic appropriate to a night of masks and mystery.

A step outside of our usual Music Island fare but Anek is hard to classify. He has been called many things, even an alien, as he magically wanders a fretboard searching out the next piece of his soul, to share with you . . He has been burning up the grid since April 25th of 2008, shredding his way through the common barriers of genres and style in the SL music scene, for so long doing only guitar lead in a virtuoso style that could only be compared to Joe Satriani, or Steve Vai. He is not a musician that sticks to one or two genres or styles, he is a soul that requires a myriad of these flavors to be that which he is.

Anek Fuchs was recently nominated as best band and as best male musician in second life, and tied as best male musician with Maximillian Kleene according to musicians, venues, and the LEMA awards foundation.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Cindy Ecksol, Thurs Oct. 29 4:30 pm PDT




Cindy Ecksol has been making and teaching music with voice, autoharp, fiddle and a variety of other instruments for as long as she can remember. She is particularly interested in traditional music of many varieties, and her repertoire includes everything from Irish tunes and Israeli dance music played on autoharp to dark Appalachian fiddle tunes from the mountains of West Virginia. But her playful side can't resist amusing modern songs about real life, which somehow co-exist with folk songs from long ago.

Music Island concerts has been working with the US Public Affairs program Virtually Speaking on a series of Arts and Letters programs on selected Thursday evenings. This concert is a vibrant part of that series.

Note: To attend a virtual concert in Second Life you must download the free SL viewer and set up your free Second Life avatar account. If you are new in SL and want to be added to the Music Island group or want help getting to the concert, just search on Kate Miranda in the Second Life Search Engine and send me a message. Click here to teleport directly to Virtually Speaking.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Open Rehearsals: More Successful in Virtual Worlds?

"I feel that I understand music at a deeper level than ever"
"This was even cooler than an ordinary concert. Let's do this again."
"Now I understand how much goes into the preparation for a concert"

These were some of the comments from individuals in attendance at last Thursday's Open Rehearsal with the wonderful Schumann Duo.

The day hadn't started out so auspiciously for Kahuna Schumann who had been struggling with a bad head cold and knew he would be unable to perform at length on the oboe, if at all. Thinking quickly, and not wanting to disappoint the audience, Clarissima Schumann suggested that the event take the form of an Open Rehearsal.

It seemed like a format that might fit the Virtually Speaking format of informal conversations. In this case, about music-making. But I did have some worries initially, based on my experience in RL. In general, audiences who enjoy rehearsals are already fairly well-informed about music, understand what to expect in an open rehearsal and are so interested in the process, that the interuptions in actual music don't bother them. Inexperienced audiences are often confused and bored, somewhat frustrated by not understanding what is happening.

What made this work so well in SL?

I think two factors were crucial. First, we could hear every word that was exchanged by the working musicians as they were wearing headsets. What a difference from the usual open rehearsal experience of conversations dropping into inaudible whispers. Secondly, audience members in SL were busily typing questions and comments into the chat bar as the rehearsal was in progress, rather than waiting for the end of the session (and losing flow and context). Rather than wait for the end to answer, the musicians were occasionally able to take a break, catch up on reading the questions and respond as they moved music stands, picked up a new piece of sheet music or moved avatars about.

In short SL broke down the wall between the people making the music and the audience members listening through the combination of asynchronous and synchronous communication tools that the virtual world is able to provide.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

CoMa Ensemble from UK on Sun Oct 25 10 am SLT



CoMA Ensemble, UK
10 am SLT
Sunday October 25, 2009
MUSIC ISLAND
Contemporary New Music Ensemble

One of the best things about Second Life is that we are largely a community that enjoys doing things and creating things for ourselves. We aren't content to passively watch television or listen to what record producers have decided is the flavour of the day in music. Instead we are in SL: creating our own stories in roleplay or on virtual stages, listening to homegrown music, and creating our own brand of art.

Amateur musicians have a lot in common with Second Lifers in general and maybe that is why amateur music is such a "fit" in Second Life. This amateur ensemble has reached a high level of musical achievement and is not content to simply play standard repertoire. Instead they are exploring and giving a voice to contemporary new music. It is interesting to me--living as I do in RL in Canada--that my national radio service CBC drastically cut its new music programming, but in the leading edge virtual world community, new music is an area that many musicians want to explore. New music afterall is where music "lives". It is the hurly, burly of trying new ideas and seeing what works and what doesn't. It is where the action is in music in our lifetime. The rest is just a museum exhibition of treasures from the past, beautiful, but dead and stuffed.

So don't come if you are going to sit and grump about how you'd rather be listening to Mozart, but please join us if you'd like to listen to the musical achievements of some very dedicated musicians who are on the living edge of music.


PROGRAM:

All - improvisation

Kirkup - WaxWing Day

Preece - No Say No

Walshe - He Was She Was

Kirkup - Reaching Peak Twenty

Caulfield - Baarle-Hertog (an evening in the village)

All - improvisation

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Schumann Duo, Classical Music with an Edge. Oct 22 & Oct. 24



THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 4: 30 PM SLT at Virtually Speaking (with special guest interview to follow)
THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 6:00 PM SLT at Amadora Concert Hall
SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 12:00 PM SLT at Music Island

Three fabulous and different opportunities to hear the great Schumann Duo this week. Veteran performers, the Schumann Duo are consummate professional musicians and music educators who enliven classical music with witty interpretations and scintillating commentary. How are they different? Piano, oboe and..... musical saw? But honestly the surprises just start there!

Clarissima is a pioneer and leader in the Second Life musical community. I met "Sisi" almost a year before Music Island was founded as we were both struggling to assist our colleague musicians, new to Second Life in learning to stream and helping with requisite tasks like making program givers for concerts. Now owner of her own full sim housing the Amadora Concert Hall, Sisi hosts her own series and informational events. So here are your choices this week for the duo. If you like a little information with your music, join us Thus. @ 4:30 pm for the Virtually Speaking series. An hour of music will be followed by an hour of public affairs interviews and commentary at 6 pm. This week with author Dave Pollard. If you like to dress up and enjoy the ambience of a formal concert hall, (and prefer music over public affairs), you might like to join the Duo at their own concert hall, Amadora. And lastly, if you prefer the seaside ambience of a summer music festival that typifies our own Music Island, join us Saturday at noon on Music Island. Whatever your flavour, you are sure to enjoy the Schumann Duo. In fact you may want to catch more than one of these all too rare gems that the Schumann Duo are so generous to offer us from time to time.

Not to be missed!


About the Duo:
The Schumann Duo. A real life married couple, Clarissima Schumann and Kahuna Schumann have been performng together professionally for the past 27 years as soloists, in small ensembles, and chamber music settings. Their eclectic mix of oboe, piano and musical saw has tweaked the musical sensibilities of SL audiences for more than two years. In Spring 2009, they teamed up with the Duo Appassionato to play a series of benefit concerts in RL to great acclaim by critics and audiences alike.

About Arts & Letters @ Virtually Speaking
On selected Thursdays, Music Island Concerts' Kate Miranda & Virtually Speaking's Jay Ackroyd present a blend of music and public affairs to lift our spirits, engage our hearts and minds and bring us together for the journey ahead. Live concerts use the global language of music to set the stage for the contemplation of important issues of our time with writers and publishers, scientists and educators, pundits and public officials. Follow the schedule of speakers at: http://virtuallyspeaking.ning.com/

Thursday, October 15, 2009

AldoManutio Abruzzo, Fall Reflections, November 17


Saturday Oct. 17 @ 1 pm on Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Music Island Artist-in-Residence, AldoManutio Abruzzo takes the stage this Saturday with some Fall Reflections in different shades and hues of natural splendor. Describing himself as a "recovering lutenist", Aldo has travelled centuries of music in his lifetime, incorporating the sounds of many periods and cultures into his musical musings on electric guitar.

Music Island fans will want to check out Aldo's new meditative CD download on the web.

Aldo and his friends Desdemona Enfield and Douglas Storey are also cooking up some mysterious surprises for the Solstice concert this year. I think we'll just have to wait for December to see what's under the .... ummmm..... winter holiday symbol of your choice.

Wondering: does "RL come first" in all circumstances?

Not for the first time I question the oft-quoted expression, "RL comes first!" Personally I think it is about the message and not the medium.

Second Life afterall is a medium, just as the web, television, telephone and the written word are media for human thought and expression. The quality, urgency and relevance of the "message" is the determiner of whether a phone message or an email gets one's attention first, so too with competing time demands in RL and SL. If SL has the more important content for me at a particular time, it definitely can (and I think should) take precedence over something less important in RL, or that can be re-scheduled in RL.

There are wonderful things in the meatspace that we call RL and there are also boring and trivial things. There are wonderful and important things in SL and there are also silly and trivial things. When something important is happening in SL, it definitely takes precedence over more trivial RL commitments for me. I do reorganize my RL to assure I can keep SL commitments. On the other hand my RL job and family are at the top of my list. Without the context of home and work, there could be no SL in my life afterall. One needs money to buy a computer and an internet service afterall. SL, to me is a volunteer commitment and I treat it very like any other voluntary obligation. I wouldn't skip work to go to a community ensemble rehearsal in RL, or a community Board Meeting but I do try not to schedule things that conflict with my voluntary commitments, and I'd understand that I'd get turfed out of the group if I missed too many meetings, rehearsals, events. Saying, "I'm just too busy to fulfill my commitments" does not make a good impression anywhere.

I take my SL friendships and obligations as seriously as my RL ones and I am a bit tired of those who do not. I am reflecting on this right now because a musician/composer who reserved a place on the Music Island schedule weeks ago cancelled within a few days of his concert citing "busyness", when I sent him a reminder message. And the same person has done this before. Am I wrong in thinking that this is just not acceptable? We all over-commit at times. As this is a young man at the start of a professional career, I hope that he learns soon that a reputation for reliability is a costly thing to lose.

Generally the musicians and other artists I have worked with in SL view their time/date commitments as seriously as those they make in RL. Sickness and technical difficulties may wipe out a scheduled concert but I have had musicians drive 100 miles to borrow a friend's internet connection and otherwise move mountains to keep a scheduled concert date. And I have taken a laptop to conferences and family gatherings in order to keep my side of the event up and running. . . which is probably why I am so irked when anyone treats an SL commitment as somehow much less important.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

"Sound Jeweller" MoShang Zhao, Oct.10 @ 7 pm SLT


MoShang Zhao finds sound beads and jewels in the streets, markets and sacred places of Taiwan. Selecting the bright, curious, and sparkling sounds he strings them together musically, weaving the whole with his own musical shapings on flute and electronic sax.

Live from Taiwan in Second Life at Music Island 7 pm SLT (Pacific Daylight Time).

IM Kate Miranda inworld to join the Music Island group.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Music Island is showcased as part of Innovation InfoIsland Grand Opening

Innovation InfoIsland Grand Opening:
SATURDAY OCTOBER 3

Come witness the birth of a grand idea – a sim devoted to the innovative thinking and projects of educators, librarians and information technologists!


The grand opening of Innovation InfoIsland will be a day-long celebration Saturday, Oct. 3.


Innovation InfoIsland will be home to wide ranging projects created by some of Second Life’s most innovative and imaginative residents. The intent of the sim is to give these thinkers, inventors and designers a place to work, create and display their ideas in a beautiful setting reminiscent of New Orleans.


The Grand Opening will showcase a taste of what will be in store: an eclectic variety of live music, discussion from a panel of distinguished professionals, singing and dancing by a talented duo, a book discussion and, of course, dancing! Keynote address will be delivered by Pathfinder Linden at 11 a.m. SLT. Throughout the day visitors are encouraged to tour the island, see some of the projects currently underway and talk to some of the project developers.

Here is the complete schedule of events. All times are SLT.

8 a.m.
Studying Psychic Experiences with Rodolfo Mirabella and Maggie Larimore of The AZIRE Library on Innovation Infoislands. Mirabella and Larimore will talk about their research into the psychology of psychic experiences, training a new generation of researchers and the importance of Second Life libraries and museums to the education process. Their almost 30 years of collaboration in RL research and education has focused on the out-of-body experience, and the history of parapsychology.

9 a.m.
- Book discussion of "The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm" by Tom Kelley and Jonathan Littman. The discussion will be led by Maxito Ricardo, who in real life is Tom Peters, founder and CEO of TAP Information Services, a company that helps libraries and other organizations innovate.

11 a.m
. - Keynote, Pathfinder Linden, "Innovation in Education in Second Life"

12 p.m
. - Music Island Concerts@Innovation Island presents violinist Young Zeid. Zeid (Xi Yang in RL) has had a distinguished music career, beginning with his solo debut at age 9. He studied at the Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, and won the National Violin Competition in Shanghai. At age 17 he was a semi-finalist in the Jacques Tibaud International Violin Competition in Paris. He is a graduate of Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington. He is the the Assistant Concertmaster, guest conductor and soloist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Arcangelo Piano Quartet and Duo Appassionato. He is also the founding music director and conductor of the Youth Symphony of Florida.

1 p.m
. - Music Island Concerts@Innovation Island presents the ambient electronic innovations of AldoManutio Abruzzo. Abruzzo performs a unique blend of improvisational ambient guitar with inspirations from classical and world music. He has studied classical guitar, Renaissance and Baroque lute, trombone and recorder and he records and performs under his project name of "usr/sbin."

2 p.m. Panel discussion "Innovation in Education & Libraries.

Panelists are:


Valerie Hill (Valibrarian Gregg) 2-2:10 pm

Valerie Hill is a school librarian and doctoral student at Texas Woman’s University School of Library and Information Studies.

Topic: Innovative Librarianship


Esther Grassian (Alexandria Knight) 2:10-2:20

Esther Grassian is an adjunct lecturer at UCLA Dept. of Information Studies & Information Literacy Librarian at UCLA College Library

Topic: Innovative Information Literacy


Elaine Plybon (Celestia Cazalet) 2:20-2:30pm

Elaine Plybon is a Chemistry teacher and Instructional Technology Specialist at the Jack E. Singley Academy in Irving, Texas. She is the chairperson for the Discovery Educator Network Leadership Council in Texas and serves on the Leadership Council for the Discovery Educator Network in Second Life.

Topic: Innovative Emerging Technology Trends


Sheila Webber (Sheila Yoshikawa) 2:30-2:40

Sheila Webber is a senior lecturer at the Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, UK.

Topic: Innovative Media Literacy


Keith Mitchell (Larry Klugman) 2:40-2:50pm

Keith Mitchell is the Coordinator for Technology Initiatives for the Center
for Science and Mathematics Education
- University of Texas in Austin

Topic: Building a Professional Development Community
with Second Life

Marianne Malmstrom (Knowclue Kidd) 2:50-3pm

Marianne Malmstrom is a Technology Teacher and machinimatographer.

Topic: Machinima in Education


4 p.m Krull Quar - Will discuss "Cool Tools in Second Life" and the dynamics of tying in real world informatics and Second Life. As well as discuss tools which allow administrators
and program developers to mine and collect data about their audience and participants. Show some of the tools available in Second Life that make it possible to interact with participants and viewers.


5 p.m. Kate Miranda and Jay Ackroyd - Music Island Concerts- - Virtually Speaking - stand at the intersection between the Arts and public conversations about the social, economic, political and scientific issues that confront the modern world. They will discuss the particular challenges and opportunities that confront them as content providers, the trajectories of their two programs, and their emerging collaboration.

6 p.m. Satin Galli and Erin68 Frog take to the stage to sing a mix of duets and solos highlighting the music of hit vocalists from the past 30 to 40 years. Come prepared to dance to their delightful music. Galli and Frog were winners of the Anthology Awards 2009 for Best Duo and the Live Entertainment Music Awards 2009.

7 p.m. Music Island Concerts @ Innovation InfoIsland will present a concert at the island jazz club, featuring Cindy Ecksol. Ecksol has been making and teaching music with voice, autoharp, fiddle and a variety of other instruments for as long as she can remember. She is particularly interested in traditional music of many varieties, and her repertoire includes everything from Irish tunes and Israeli dance music played on autoharp to dark Appalachian fiddle tunes from the mountains of West Virginia, as well as amusing modern songs about real life.




Glad to See Thom Dowd is Recovering!

Our good friend Thom Dowd, the Second Life master of the Renaissance flute suffered a motorcycle accident that took him out of commission with a broken thumb for a few weeks. We were relieved to see this posted video of his first try at playing with the mended thumb!

Way to go Thom and we look forward to more flute concerts with you and your students coming soon in Second Life.

Find more videos like this on Music Island Concerts

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Christine Montgomery, Sun. Sept. 27 @ 12 pm SLT


PROGRAM (revised Sept.26):
Caulfield Introduction with tape
Ashbridge Dreamspheres I
Caulfield Freddie goes to town
Caulfield Everybody Gotta be Somewhere (premiere)
Caulfield Spring Rondo
Massenet Meditation
Caulfield Hallasan Blues for solo Bassoon
Caulfield Boar Ring (solo) (premiere )
Bartok Wedding Song
Bartok Pillow Dance
Caulfield The show that never starts


Biography

Christine is a Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat, working on Linux clustering and storage technologies. She has has been playing violin since the age of 7 but gave up in her teens (to a lasting regret) and didn't restart until her early 20s. She currently plays violin with the Sinfonia of Leeds and the CoMA (COntemporary Music for Amateurs) Yorkshire Ensemble.

As a composer, Christine is largely self-taught, but has taken tuition and advice from Ben Oliver and John Habron (both now at Southampton) and anyone else who will listen. Her compositional style is eclectic and takes in a number of diverse influences from the baroque masters to Schittke, Swedish folk music and silly noises you can make by hitting a cheap fiddle with a paint brush. She is, as Douglas Adams would have it, "a great fan of science" and frequently uses scientific and mathematical themes in her music, though is not above tweaking mathematical systems for musical effect.

Although highly technically literate (see job description above) she prefers to compose sat in a comfortable arm-chair using a pencil and manuscript paper. Oh, and a calculator ... and possibly a martini. She lives in Leeds with a large number of cats, some strange instruments, and possibly too many computers and/or microphones.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

AldoManutio Abruzzo Sept 22-- Equinox Concert

The Balance of the Matter
September 22
5 pm SECOND LIFE TIME (PDT)
Music Island Concerts @ Sea Turtle Island

Our biggest celebrations as a species tend to focus on the extremes of our seasonal cycles, Mid-summer and Mid-winter solstice celebrations. In these times, hopefully the human species is evolving to have a considered and worshipful regard for the idea of balance.

Join us in musical contemplation of the balance of day and night, winter and summer, as the earth is perfectly balanced between the Light and the Dark, the Heat of the Sun and the Cold of Winter Nights.

I don't know what surprises Aldo may have in store for the concert audience on Tuesday night. (He is being unusually secretive). But every concert with Aldo has been a delight for the ears and senses and the hearts of listeners are filled with calm and contemplation.

Aldo plays a unique blend of improvisational ambient guitar. You have to hear it to believe it! In real life, this avatar studied classical guitar, Renaissance and Baroque lute, trombone, and recorder. He records and performs under his project name of "usr/sbin".

He contributes regularly to collaborative recording efforts for The Ambient Collective (http://www.ambientcollective.com/), has released an EP for the netlabel Mandorla Records (http://www.mandorla.com.mx/), where his work is also showcased in their MANDORLA AUTUMN TUNES NET-COLLECTION release, and regularly participates in the National Solo Album Month (http://usrslashsbin.angrek.com/audio/nasoalmo/).

His CDs are listed in iTunes and Rhapsody, as well as several other online music services. A quick search for "usr/sbin" with your favorite online service should turn up his recordings; if not, let him know! His recordings can also be heard regularly at http://www.stillstream.com

AldoManutio Abruzzo (RL: Dennis Moser, aka "usr/sbin")
http://audiozoloft.com
http://www.myspace.com/usrsbin

Friday, September 18, 2009

Zachh Cale Sept 19 in his first performance at Music Island



I heard Zachh play while I was out and about the Second Life club scene and we chatted for awhile after his set. This young man is loaded with talent. Those who have heard him in the clubs may be familiar with his light classics and stylings of popular music but there is more here and we're going to experience that this weekend.

Zachh is a composer/pianist whose style is a mix of popular, classical, jazz and new age genres. Schooled in classical piano, he later rebelled against tradition and learned to play by ear - now he blends both traditional and popular approaches to composition and performance. The result is usually a fresh combination of melodies and rhythms, which hopefully stimulate both hearts and minds of his listeners.

It will be great to welcome Zachh to Music Island and a community of serious musicians within Second Life who have really become like a family in helping each other with both Second Life and RL music projects.

Finding interesting stuff to do in Second Life

Under the heading of "Frequently Asked Questions":

New residents frequently arrive at Music Island, discover that there is no concert that day and say, "But how do I find stuff to do that I'm interested in? I have been exploring empty spaces for DAYS!!!!!"

1. First understand that Second Life is organized like the rest of the Social Web. People move in response to events and associations. So finding events of interest by simply popping about the SL Grid is not likely to work too well.

2. Find active groups that interest you: Search on groups via key words in the SL search engine. Find one that looks interesting and with open membership and join. Now look at past notices to see if the group is active. If you don't see notices that interest you, then drop the group and look for another one. Another way to find groups that interest you is to use the same search terms under the "places" tab in search. Visit places of interest and see if there are groups to join. Soon you'll be getting notices of events of interest.



3. Use the SL "Events" search engine: Select "live music", "education" or any other category from the drop down menu in the Events Tab in Search. Then press the search button. Lots of events will appear. Since the listings are not too well-policed there will be some irrelevant returns, but you will still likely see a number of events of interest to you.


What could Linden Labs do to help people find things that interest them more easily?

1. Make the Search Engine more intuitive. People don't expect to have to press "search" after opening a Search tab and selecting a category.

2. Increase the number of categories or create sub-categories.

3. Police the listings more aggressively for spammers and off topic postings.

4. Allow people to view notices on groups without joining or at least to have the number of archived notices viewable. Joining groups only to see that there hasn't been an event in living memory is a pain.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Professor Blackmountain, September 17


Thursday September 17 at Virtually Speaking

Professor Blackmountain is an electronic/ambient artist better known for RL music projects Palancar, Copal River, and Cluster Balm. He is also the owner of ambient radio StillStream.com and music labels Earth Mantra Netlabel and Blue Water Records. His music is meditative and mood altering, with the goal of bringing audiences into a state of harmony both inner and with the world around.

For more information visit:

http://stillstream.com
http://earthmantra.com
http://bluewaterrecords.com
http://palancar.net
http://myspace.com/copalriver
http://myspace.com/clusterbalm

In a new joint venture with the Virtually Speaking series featuring important thinkers of public affairs, a series of concerts will bring the global language of music to set the stage for the contemplation of important issues of our time. Arts and Letters evenings will enable the audience to experience the best in SL music and thought-provoking discussion.

At 6 pm Virtually Speaking will welcome special guest Marcy Wheeler. She is best known for her book, Anatomy of Deceit, which served as a primer of the CIA Leak case, and her live-blogging of the Scooter Libby trial. She covered efforts to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its illegal warrantless wiretapping and torture programs.

Blogging as 'emptywheel,' she built a following at DailyKos.com and now blogs as at FireDogLake.com.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

What's next?

Yesterday as we were concluding a wonderful concert by Astronimus Randt... you have to catch one of Astronimus's concerts if you haven't previously... I received not one but several IM's saying "What's next?" as in some expectation that there would be a back to back line up of live musicians performing all afternoon.

I wanted to go and smack my head against the wall. Organizing, booking, promoting and running one concert a week involves what amounts to a parttime unpaid job. Originally I organized only one or two concerts a month. Then I felt that momentum would be better if I could come up with a weekly concert. That effort has proven impossible with a fulltime job so I have changed my employment situation to parttime to explore options with the SL project... and that's still not enough? What are these people thinking???

rant

rant

rant

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Astronimus Randt, violin, flute September 12

Astronimus Randt
Original jazz compositions
Electric violin & flute
Music Island/Sea Turtle Island
September 12, 2009
12 pm (noon) Second Life Time (PDT)

Astronimus began his career as a musician when he was a child, singing in choir and playing the violin. Soon after this, he picked up the guitar and began songwriting and composing. He began playing professionally at the age of 15. In college, he majored in composition and minored in applied violin. He’s worked in recording studios as a musician and in production/engineering. Astronimus has also performed in musical theatre, both on-stage and in the orchestra pit.