Music Island

A vibrant and busy December Schedule

2011-12-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

For the latest schedule and information on the web visit http://musicisland.spruz.com

Sat Dec 3, 2 pm SLT
Voodoo Shilton, guitar

Wed Dec 7 6 pm SLT
Duo Appassionato, violins/viola
Winter holiday concert

Sat Dec 10 2 pm SLT
Tip Corbett, composer, pianist

Sun Dec 11 1 pm SLT
Kain Scalia, tenor
Once Upon a Winter

Sat Dec 17, 11 am SLT
Let's Talk Classical Music
A Classical Christmas
with host, Aelthing Aeon

Sun Dec 18, 2 pm SLT
Schumann Duo
piano, oboe and surprises

Wed Dec 21, 1 pm SLT
Fingersatz Barbosa, classical guitar

Sat Dec 31 12 pm SLT
NEW YEARS REZZ-OLUTIONS
Cypress Rosewood, ambient music

November 27 Women in SL Music

2011-11-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

What's this?

No concert at Music Island this week?

Yes, but wait!

It's time for the annual festival of SL Women in Music offered in partnership with Ohio State University's Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies. This year the festival will be a kick off event for16 Days of Action against Gender Violence with events in RL and SL both.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Minerva/10/10/29/

11 am Cindy Ecksol, folk

12 noon AMFORTE Clarity, rock

1 pm Prowess Rayna, piano

2 pm SonyaJevette Charisma, blues

3 pm Choo Choo Chicks, vocal trio with live ensemble..

DETAILS:

11 am Cindy Ecksol - American Folk
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.

12 pm AMForte Clarity - Rock and Blues
Driven to succeed, A.M.Forte has sought out different avenues for exposure. As a singer/songwriter, she will never give up in her dreams . With Punk/Rock/Pop flairs, this artist has influences that include, U2, Nirvana, RadioHead, Alanis Morrissette, Coldplay, MCR, AAR, The Cranberries, Our Lady Peace and Elliott Smith. She WON the Best of SL Magazine Musician of 2009 Ministry of Motion Contest!

Visit her at the following Websites:
http://www.amforte.com
http://www.myspace.com/amforte
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFMvM0JSOXc

1 pm Prowess Rayna, piano
Prowess Rayna, a true artist on the piano, began playing at 3, composing at 7 & performing professionally by 14. Countless souls have been uplifted by her sensuous, passionate expression, fluid technique & beautiful melodies. Her reputation flourishes as she shares her evolving talents with live music lovers in SL

2 pm SonyaJevette Charisma
The words sultry, cool, and eccentric best describe the singer, songwriter, and musician Sonya Jevette. She grew up singing to the great R&B tunes that dominated the airwaves in the seventies. As a teen she honed her vocal talent through the church choir. Winning a talent contest at the age of seventeen was the beginning of Jevette's journey. From there, she went on to win dozens of competitions. These successes translated into media attention from radio & newspaper with appearances at over one hundred festivals.

Jevette combines her rich, passionate voice and her gut-wrenching lyrics with classical, latin and jazz style guitar. Jevette's configuration produces a style that can only be described as unique.

http://www.iTunes.com/sonyajevette
http://www.cdbaby.com/sonyajevette

3 pm The Choo Choo Chicks
The Choo Choo Chicks are sassy, sizzling jazz and blues live from Red Lotus Records in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Tight harmonies and a kickin' rhythm section are the hallmarks of this group, who perform original music written by lead singer Angua Ashbourne and cover the classics from Robert Johnson to Lady Day.

Weblinks: www.redlotusrecords.net http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5V0F-9xMuo

Nov 19 "Let's Talk Classical Music" with Aelthing Aeon

2011-11-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

Let's Talk Classical Music
November 19 @ 11 am SLT
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Like to listen and learn about classical music? Aelthing Aeon, a guest lecturer with the National Federation of Recorded Music Societies (UK) will present an informative talk on selected classical recordings. This month's topic "Innovation and Conservation in Early Music".

The format for this series is selected recordings on the SL music stream accompanied by informative text chat by the host. Questions and comments from the audience in text are welcome during the presentation.

Nov. 20 Atheene Dodonpa: Songs of the Anunciation & Advent Season

2011-11-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

Atheene Dodonpa, soprano
Early Songs of the Anunciation & Advent Season
(live concert in 3D virtual reality)
Sunday November 20, 2011
12 noon SLT (Pacific Time)
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Atheene Dodonpa is the pre-eminent wandering minstrel of Second Life, entertaining townsfolk and castle dwellers alike with authentic music from many cultures delivered in her thrilling soprano, accompanying herself on period instruments and illuminating the audience with warm, engaging, explanatory chat.

PROGRAM:

Songs of the Annunciation and the Advent Season

4 Early Syrian hymns

Yawnu Tlitu (Little Dove, Birth of Christ)
Qurbone Qarebun (Prayer of the Priests)
Enono nuhro shariro (I´m the true Light)
Ayn Qai (People died in faith)

6 songs from the Laudario di Firenze

Laude novella (Virgin Mary)
Voi ch´amate lo criatore (Virgin Mary´s lament)
Novel canto dolce sancto (Apostle Thomas)
Peccatrice nominata (Mary Magdalene)
Sancto Marco glorioso (Evangelist Mark)
Sancto Symeom beato (Simeon who saw the baby Jesus)

3 songs by Hildegard von Bingen

O quam preciosa (Virgin Mary)
O nobilissima viriditas (Praising the virginity)
Mathias sanctus (Evangelist Matthew)

The Florence Laudario is a collection of monophonic hymns dating from the 14th century, and is only one of two extant that include the written music, the other being the Cortona Laudario from the 13th century. The Florence Laudario belonged to the Company of Santo Spirito, an ensemble of “laudesi” (much like a group of cantors, or even a schola), which sung the compline service every evening for the Church of Santo Spirito. A church of any renown had its company of laudesi whose chief job it was to help the congregation sing the hymns, the way we still use cantors today. Hymns were composed with a ritornello (“refrain”) that was easy enough for the congregation to learn. All text, notably, was in the vernacular, not in Latin, again providing the congregation with access to the language. This is probably why these hymns are still around in some version or another. Unlike the Cortonese who kept their laude simple, the laudesi of Florence, being Florentine, of course refined and ornamented their laude such that only trained singers could successfully sing the complex bits. However, the ritornello was always there to return to, and the congregations could, and would, join in.
- Amelia LeClair

HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, (1098-1179), was a remarkable woman, a "first" in many fields. At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard, known as "Sybil of the Rhine", produced major works of theology and visionary writings. When few women were accorded respect, she was consulted by and advised bishops, popes, and kings. She used the curative powers of natural objects for healing, and wrote treatises about natural history and medicinal uses of plants, animals, trees and stones. She is the first composer whose biography is known. Clearly a force to
contend with, she wrote books and letters on all of the above topics, traveled widely, and penned what is arguably the first opera in western music, the “Ordo Virtutem”. She founded a vibrant convent, where her musical plays were performed. Her music is radically different from the chant that surrounded her: she takes great leaps of fifths followed by fourths frequently (thus spanning an octave), and the expressive writing is not meant for the faint of heart. She obviously had very well trained singers at her disposal. Her poetry is raw and wonderful, and has no known precedent.

Although not yet canonized, Hildegard has been beatified, and is frequently referred to as St. Hildegard. Revival of interest in this extraordinary woman of the middle ages was initiated by musicologists and historians of science and religion. More controversially, Hildegard's music had been adapted and interpreted by the New Age movement, whose music bears some resemblance to Hildegard's ethereal airs.

Her story is important to all students of medieval history and culture and an inspirational account of an irresistible spirit and vibrant intellect overcoming social, physical, cultural, gender barriers to achieve timeless transcendence. For her, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a frequent artistic theme.

Saturday November 12 Champagne Rain, piano

2011-11-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

CHAMPAGNE RAIN, piano and voice
SAT Nov 12 @ 12 PM
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/56/23/25

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Champagne Rain is an Eastern European born Classical Pianist. She has devoted most of her life to acquiring performing skills at the Kiev Conservatory and has, in real life, performed in the world's most prestigious concert venues, including Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall. She has recorded 6 CD's of concert and solo work.

In SL, she is also sharing her second musical talent, a lovely operatic voice, sharing some of her favorite arias and lieder.

Conservation and Innovation in Early Music

2011-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Three events over the next week will explore this theme:

Nov 13 12 noon Christine Montgomery, violin & compostion "Plugged-In Vivaldi"

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Chrissie Caulfield is a violinist and composer working principally in contemporary, ambient and rock idioms. She plays electric violin in the Progressive Rock band Catscans, has played solo at various venues including Colchester New Music and will be holding a masterclass in electric violin techniques in that city later this year. She is also a founder member of the contemporary music band ‘Midnight Llama’ based in West Yorkshire, UK. She has toured Europe with the rock band Crippled Black Phoenix and appears on the latest album “Relic” by guitarist Matt Stevens.

As a composer, Chrissie is largely self-taught, but has taken tuition and advice from Ben Oliver, John Habron, Scott McLaughlin and anyone else who will listen. Her compositional style is eclectic and takes in a number of diverse influences from the baroque masters to Schnittke, Swedish folk music, Pink Floyd, distortion pedals and the noise cats make when licking foil. 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.

She lives in Leeds with a large number of cats, some strange instruments, and possibly too many computers and/or effects pedals.

This is what happens to classical music when you remove its inhibitions, lend it to a prog-rocker and then try to play the tattered remains when it comes back two years later covered in cat pawprints

http://www.facebook.com/l/wAQGGmtt9AQEGqxUtPqsoJM_0Q4SMmCty0uRrX-KVH5-1sw/chrissieviolin.info
http://www.facebook.com/l/fAQH94bDEAQGNluN6kIaT6bP9CPC-LDYLo-YK8IsbNOPQDw/midnightllama.info
http://www.facebook.com/l/4AQGNdWpjAQEISPTEtuBssF9ZRn8ddoMiqU-4vnVdjeb7zA/catscansband.com

Nov 19 11 am Aelthing Aeon, guided listening Conservation and Innovation

Like to listen and learn about classical music? Whether you are new to classical music or an avid collector of recordings, you are always sure to learn something new at this monthly talk. Aelthing Aeon, a guest lecturer with the National Federation of Recorded Music Societies in the UK will present an informative talk on selected classical recordings, including some rare performances on CD. This month, Ael will be talking about and contrasting performances on period & modern instruments.

Nov 20 12 noon Atheene Dodonpa, Early Music

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Lady Atheene Dodonpa is the leading Lady minstrel performing medieval music in SL. She is a professional musician in both worlds, so her live medieval music moments are guaranteed to be authentic and unique.

Lady Atheene accompanies her voice with several instruments: recorders and pipes, bells, rebec, symphonie, bowed psaltery, 5-stringed kantele, organ and celtic harp. Her performances have already been a source of joy for hundreds of people in SL and she will continue to sing and tell the enchanting stories for the recidents of all regions she is invited to also in the future, of course, God willing.

Atheene Dodonpa stars in "Alvido in Abo"

2011-09-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wondering where SL's Atheene Dodonpa has been? Here's the scoop, and the link to a recording. Her summer project was performing in a 1692 opera Alvido in Abo. Listen online. (If you don't speak Finnish advance about 10 minutes to skip the narrative introduction. )

Sept 11 "The Language of Peace" 12 noon SLT

2011-09-10T12:30:00.001-07:00

"The language of peace"
Shprav OODLES & Sandia BEAUMONT, piano, harpsichord & organ
Sunday Sept 11 @ 12 pm (NOON)
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/54/21/23

PROGRAM:
Bartok Grasshopper Wedding
Heliodoro de Paiva Tento de IV Tom
Bartok BEAR dance
Tchaikovsky June Barcarolle
Handel Sonatina in A minor
Improv
Bartok: Slovakian Boys Dance
Sondheim: Send in the Clowns
Chopin/Beaumont: Cat & Dog
Improv
Debussy: Arabesque
Oodles: Africa Laughing

Is there a creative economy in Second Life?

2011-09-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

In the context of a maillist discussion, this video was posted, sparking my comments as below.

SLCC 2011 The Creative Economy In Second Live by Sitearm Madonna aka James Neville from Sitearm Madonna on Vimeo.

It is interesting to note that Richard Florida moved to Canada, citing in part the Canadian national and Toronto civic understanding of the role of the public sector in supporting cultural assets for the creative economy. Second Life by contrast is a very libertarian, free-enterprise environment with extremely limited public support for the inworld arts community.

Different art forms are able to support themselves more or less in a free market system depending upon costs, popularity, and market fluctuations in ticket prices or art sales. Only the "lowest common denominator" in the arts are able to survive solely on earned revenues: pop music, mass-market films, etc. The economic formulas for successful museums, orchestras, opera companies have been remarkably stable for more than 100 years and across national borders although the form of public support may vary. In one nation it is all direct grants, in others there are mail discounts, some offer tax breaks for private/corporate donors or subsidies to concert halls for the provision of free or inexpensive facilities. I can expound in a lot of detail on this topic (and have elsewhere). In 1881 when the Boston Symphony was founded (the first professional symphony in N. America) the Board proposed a business plan to the City of Boston that showed only 50% of revenues coming from ticket sales. The rest of the income was to come from government 25% and private/corporate donors 25%. With slight variations, that is the formula for a successful orchestra today. If government support & private support goes down and you raise ticket prices, people stop coming. If you reduce costs by using lower quality musicians or a cheaper hall, people stop coming. There is no way to beat the formula in the long run. (God knows I have tried, like every other artistic manager in the biz.)

Second Life arts is full of dedicated volunteers, curious arts experimenters and trial projects. It is not home to many arts projects that are professional and sustainable. (I can't name one.) Every year that I have run Music Island, I have seen colleagues leave Second Life because their efforts have not been sustainable. Sometimes they leave happy for the good experiences and sad to not be able to continue, other times they leave bitter and disillusioned. Reasons for disillusionment vary. My own series is made possible because I elected to work parttime because I found SL music interesting and restorative. The cost to me and my family was about a $25,000 reduction in income annually for the past two years. Had I taken that step in order to launch.... oh... a chamber series in a Toronto church, I have absolutely no doubt that I could have raised more than enough from Canadian arts foundations & others to pay myself and the artists. However Second Life is a different animal. RL arts funders are interested in RL arts projects in a particular location featuring local or national artists. International virtual projects are too "far out", outside the scope of the funders, and on top of that Linden Lab seems intent on sending a marketing message about the world that is not welcoming to education and culture, but rather highlights the social and game-like elements. Within the virtual world itself I feel there is little understanding by Linden Lab of the vital role cultural assets have played in making the community attractive to its creative class, the damage that has been done to that creative class by driving out educators and non-profits, and the number of arts series, like my own, that are running out of steam. The libertarian philosophy that seems to be at the core of Linden thinking is that if something is worthwhile it will be able to raise its own funding in the free market. History refutes this view. Historically the arts have only flourished with the support of the King, the Church, or democratic governments. I'm not sure which of these the Lindens are most like, but whichever, there is little public arts support available within SL.

I'd like to add that I am far from bitter or disillusioned. I made my own decisions and I have found the generosity of the musicians that perform at Music Island, humbling and heart-warming. We are all here for the music and the fans, but persevere despite the Lindens and the crass free-enterprise, commercial & adult-entertainment community they have fostered.

Labour Day Weekend Events

2011-09-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

In Second Life this Labour Day Weekend? Super! Music Island, Cedar Island and Virtual Ability have got together to have a bunch of great events for you to do

Saturday, September 3

8 am SLT- Labor Literature- readings by Bathsheba Darkfold and Chaoite Resident
Cape Serenity Library (text and voice)

noon SLT- Chapman Zane- Music from the Kentucky Hills and Coal Mines
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

1 pm SLT Ronin1 Shippe Art Opening - Cedar Island Public Square

2 pm Film and discussion "Salt of the Earth" 1954 at Sea Turtle Island Lodge

Sunday, September 4

All day-Ronin1 Shippe Art Show Continues,
Cedar Island Public Square

11 am SLT- Labor Literature- readings by Bathsheba Darkfold and Ladyslipper Constantine
Cape Serenity Library (text and voice)

1 pm SLT Tour of Fenimore Art Gallery, A project of the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY, the repository of one of America's greatest collections of American art and American folk art. All from New England, this is one of the finest assemblages of America's artistic heritage anywhere.
Cape Able

Monday, September 5

noon SLT- Cindy Ecksol Concert - "Have you been to jail for justice"
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

1 pm SLT Chad Mikado of the National Service Inclusion Project "Contributing our volunteer labour virtually".
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island.

All day-Ronin1 Shippe Art Show Continues, Cedar Island Public Square
5 pm SLT- Labor Literature- readings by Bathsheba Darkfold and Gentle Heron

Cape Serenity Library (text and voice)

The Labor LIterature will be poetry, short stories, and pithy quotations, with a smattering of labor history included.

Miriam Forsythe concert postponed

2011-08-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

Miriam Forsythe, scheduled for a concert this week August 13 at noon, has had to postpone her concert due to a flare up of a painful ganglian cyst.

We all wish Miriam a speedy recovery and hope she'll be back with us soon at Music Island.

Saturday August 13 Joaquin Gustav, 2 pm SLT

2011-08-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Joaquin Gustav, latin guitar
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
August 13, 2 pm SLT

Joaquin is a highly trained guitarist, born and received his music education in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of tango. Out of his fingers comes an array of string sounds that blend the colors of Latin American culture with his own elegant performing style. Inspired by tradition, he is not afraid to experiment with new styles and techniques.

His wide range playlist includes smooth jazz, rock, tango, milonga, candombe and much more.

Pictures from Champagne Rain Concert

2011-08-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Livestream or Record? Musings.

2011-08-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Question & thinking out loud about the dissemination of the great SL concerts we have at Music Island:

If I have to choose between livestreaming or recording an SL concert, which one is better to focus my resources on? I'm wondering because one person really can't do both well I don't think.

Yesterday people attending the Champagne Rain concert were asking me about whether a recording of the concert would be available because they had friends who couldn't get in. When I said that it was on livestream now but not being recorded in entirety they went "Oh Shit, so and so has logged off now and I can't tell them that". Hmmmm. Seems like there's been a communication failure there despite my announcing the Livestream before concerts and occasionally reminding people via group notice. On the other hand Live stream is a new feature to Music Island concerts and maybe they will get onto it if I keep it up. I also have thought about putting a Livestream logo onstage with a URL connection so that people visiting the sim will know the concerts are available on the web (most concerts).

Livestream increases the potential audience for an event and it doesn't add TOO much extra work time. I have to set up a separate broadcast computer, check the sound and then zoom back and forth periodically to change camera angles and then it's done. The main thrust of the exercise is to get around the small audience limits in Second Life and my hope is that it will help expand the numbers of musicians performing in SL and also be an appealing facet of any mixed reality project. I cannot use the broadcast software in "record" mode while in Second Life because it gobbles so much bandwidth that SL fps slows to a crawl (especially in a crowded concert setting). This makes what you are recording look terrible. (Talk about the observer effect :-)

Screen capture in another computer running FRAPS involves capturing a variety of angles and views of the concert with a view to post production editing in my (new) Sony Vegas software. I now have to means to create much better videos BUT it takes a LOT of work to do so. The raw capture files are also HUGE. But the films create a long lasting record of events that can be shared to inform and promote artists, Music Island and SL music in general.

Both require artist permissions which generally are not witheld but I would say most are more enthusiastic about Livestream than recordings but that could just be that my early recordings were pretty crappy (archival only really).

I COULD decide on a case by case basis, but I wonder if that might not lead to some feeling shortchanged and hoping for both a film and a broadcast.

Is it possible to do both? Possibly but not well. I am currently running 3 computers (1. in SL hosting concert, 2. in SL & broadcasting concert, 3. not in SL but monitoring and tweaking Livestream) and I can see how I COULD do all of these things with my current three computers by monitoring on my hosting computer by adding a screen & turning off SL sound. Then I would do screen capture on a third computer with a 3rd logged on avatar. Another monitor on my main computer would help. But really what I need to do this is a 4th computer and an interested helper.

Tip Corbett: Video Excerpt from July 30 concert

2011-08-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Champagne Rain plays Beethoven. Aug 6 1 pm SLT

2011-08-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 6
1 pm SLT
Champagne Rain, piano
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Before launching on a South American tour, Champagne Rain will grace us with a performance of an arrangement of the 3rd Mvt. of the triumphant and muscular Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. Other works by Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt will complete the program.

Champagne Rain is an Eastern European born Classical Pianist. She has devoted most of her life to acquiring performing skills at the Kiev Conservatory and has, in real life, performed in the world's most prestigious concert venues, including Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall. She has recorded 6 CD's of concert and solo work.

Want to learn more about Beethoven before attending the concert?

"Let's Talk Classical Recordings"
The best of Beethoven
Aelthing Aeon
Saturday August 6
11 am SLT

Like to listen and learn about classical music? Aelthing Aeon, a guest lecturer with the National Federation of Recorded Music Societies (UK) will present an informative talk on selected classical recordings.

This month Aelthing will help us prepare for a performance of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 by placing it in context of the composer's work and different styles of performance.

Benito Flores, July 24 @ 12 noon

2011-07-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

PROGRAM:

Muzio Clementi
“Batti batti” dal Don Giovanni di Mozart

Andrea Padova
Waterscape in motion*

Ferruccio Busoni
Elegia n. 2 “All’Italia!” (in modo napoletano)

Gioachino Rossini
da “Péchés de Vieillesse” Vol. VII: Album pour les enfants dégourdis - n. 8 Barcarole

intervallo

Gioachino Rossini
da “Péchés de Vieillesse” Vol. V: Album de chaumière - n. 5 Prélude inoffensif

Marcell Dargay
Légendes no. III “Le pianiste prêche pour soi-même”*

Fryderyk Chopin
Scherzo n. 2 in si bemolle minore - re bemolle maggiore op. 31

ARTIST BIO:
Alessandro Marangoni (Benito Flores in SL)
Born in Italy in 1979, studied the piano with Maria Tipo at Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. Besides his musical studies he also graduated with honours in philosophy at the Università di Pavia with a thesis on Fernando Liuzzi’s philosophy of music. He was also a merit student of the Almo Collegio Borromeo, one of the oldest and most important European colleges. After winning several national and international awards, he has appeared in many important musical events in Europe, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, with performances in Rome at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, in Florence for the Accademia della Crusca, in Lucca for the Associazione Musicale Lucchese, for the Walton Foundation on Ischia, the Cittadella in Assisi, and the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, as well as at the Engadiner Internationale Kammermusik-Festspiele, Sagra Musicale Umbra, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, and St John’s College, Cambridge.

As a chamber musician he has collaborated with some of the most important Italian musical personalities and groups, including Mario Ancillotti, Vittorio Ceccanti, Fanny Clamagirand, Daria Masiero, Stefano Parrino, Quirino Principe, Carlo Zardo and the Nuovo Quartetto Italiano. He won great success in Spain with the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra and in Bratislava with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the great Italian conductor Aldo Ceccato.
He has recently started artistic cooperation with the Italian actress Valentina Cortese. He is the pianist of the Trio Albatros Ensemble, with which he has won international acclaim: they recorded a cd with Nino Rota's chamber music for Stradivarius. In 2007 he made a recording for la Bottega Discantica of the piano works of Victor de Sabata, for the fortieth anniversary of the great Italian conductor’s death. In December of that year he played in a recital at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, with Daniel Barenboim, in further tribute to De Sabata. In 2007 he won the prestigious Amici di Milano International Prize for Music. He has recorded all of Rossini's piano music and "Gradus ad parnassum" by Clementi for Naxos.

For more information, please visit www.alessandromarangoni.com.

Prowess Rayna July 16, 2011

2011-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Prowess Rayna, Saturday July 16 @ 12 noon SLT

2011-07-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

STARLIGHT PIANO

Prowess Rayna, a true artist on the piano, began playing at 3, composing at 7 & performing professionally by 14. Countless souls have been uplifted by her sensuous, passionate expression, fluid technique & beautiful melodies. Her reputation flourishes as she shares her evolving talents with live music lovers in SL.

Music Island Slurl

I am going to try to go back to posting the weekly events here on the blog. I haven't been doing that lately because the listings exist at http:/musicisland.spruz.com but some people have asked me to also post the immediately upcoming events here... I'll try.

What is community in Second Life?

2011-07-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

Recent discussions about a community conference in Second Life made me reflect on just what that community is to me.

My Second Life community doesn't have a capital city in California. It isn't limited by geo-political boundaries. Virtual community lives in the gathered consciousness of groups of beings from across the planet--sharing laughter, ideas, a sense of purpose or a moment of pure beauty.

The virtual community that I've come to love is usually a kinder place than the rest of life. We are patient with the crazy, the newcomer and we welcome and accommodate the disabled. We have the pioneering spirit, a lot of us like to make things ourselves (even if they come out a little lop-sided). Our entertainment is home-grown and our musical kitchen-parties and town-hall story-telling podiums have been equally graced by internationally renowned artists and amateurs who simply love the art.

We struggle and laugh with translators in order to make people who don't speak the same languages all feel included and marvel at how much we have in common, no matter how far apart we may have logged into Second Life from, how far apart we are on the globe. My Second Life community is less about the technology or business of virtual worlds and more about what people do and share within those worlds. I remember my first meeting in SL was held around one of Robbie Dingo's drum circles. Delia Lake was planning her "All About Water" exhibit (it still exists) and I was a clueless newbie all agog at the idea of a virtual drum circle with an international tribe of environmentalists meeting in this new world.

At Music Island we all throw our Lindens in the pot to contribute to the expenses of the musicians who perform for us. We know that we all don't have as much money to spare but we all are able to come together despite our wealth or poverty. That's the beauty of virtual community.

One day some of us might chance to meet each other face-to-face but because we've already met soul-to-soul, shared our thoughts and seen the colours of all our dreams, we don't really feel the need.

Second-lifers join hands across multiple sims in support of the Burma protest, Jan 2008.

SLCC 20011 - Thoughts on why virtual community gatherings should be, ummmm, virtual

2011-07-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I have been talking to some friends in Second Life about the upcoming SLCC (Second Life Community Conference). http://www.slconvention.org/

For those of you that don't know what that is, some really late announcements have gone out for a gathering in California next month that purports to be a gathering of SL community. These annual conferences have been happening since 2005, all of them have been in the United States and most in California. This year's website frankly calls it the "Official United States Gathering" but the name Second Life Community Conference implies a greater, global, reach.

In 2006 when I first joined SL there seemed to be a spirit of making events in the SL of equal or greater focus but in recent years the F2F gathering has stolen focus. Inworld events have been more about streaming in content happening in the RL context. In an international virtual world community I find this counter-intuitive. Other virtual world events manage to reflect inclusivity more, eg: VWBPE (Virtual Worlds:Best Practices in Education) but most serve only a sectoral interest.

After 5 years of waiting for the community conference to grow up and embrace the international community that SL really is , I've become a bit intemperate and frustrated I guess. Why do I feel that the focus of a virtual world community conference should be in... virtual reality? (bear with me, I know it seems like a no-brainer).

we are an international community,
we tout the value of virtual spaces,
there is a global recession,
this year Linden Lab cancelled discounted tier for educators and non-profits leaving those valued participants short of cash
Second Life was founded on a somewhat Utopian ideal about bringing people together internationally in an affordable and inclusive way
we tout the environmental superiority of meeting in virtual spaces

All these (and many more reasons that I have likely missed) seem to me to indicate that the main annual meeting of the SL community should be virtual with regional livespace events ocuring as people choose and can afford to attend, augmenting and feeding into the international virtual gathering. I have no doubt that livespace meetings are wonderful bonding experiences for those that live near the event or who are privileged enough to be able to afford air-travel in these times. That is not the majority of Second Life residents.

It's too late to change things this year but each year it has been the same story of late news to the community and all the key decisions made. Yes there will be inworld events but organizers admit they will not be the focus. "Jump in and help", we are told.

I felt two ways about the suggestion from an organizer that in order to be entitled to have a voice in the future direction of SLCC, I become a worker bee at an event whose focus I feel is wrong-headed. Volunteerism is about choice. What are my choices or the choices of people who cannot be a part of the live gathering?

Are there just two unpalatable choices here: support SLCC or walk away & shut up?

Is there a third choice? Yes, let's talk about putting our efforts into another vision. How about throwing our own grassroots party in SL instead of gluing ourselves to media screens to watch the cool (rich) kids talk to each other. We can show our displeasure by saying "we just aren't interested in what you are saying to each other at an event you have effectively shut us out of". But even better we can develop a better vision of a community gathering based on the grass-roots organizing that SL is best for. I have been speaking to some of my colleagues involved with groups who are particularly shut out due to distance and economics, such as the disabled and First Nations people.

Who else is out there that might like to join this conversation?

What is group spam... or not?

2011-07-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today I received the following message:

[17:05] Abbey Zenith: You have been ejected from 'Second Life Library 2.0' by Abbey Zenith.

I felt terrible, both hurt and angry. I had sent a single IM message to a group about a classical piano concert that I had been led to believe might be of interest to their members. It was a public service. Far from "needing" the group, I had to think about whether I could extend some invitations to other groups since core group members (1350 in group and 2000 on maillist) usually were sufficient to fill the sim. This seemed like a poor reward for my inclusiveness. I wanted to ban Abbey and five generations of her descendents from Music Island. And then I calmed down and considered why I was angry.

The history here is that a couple of years ago I had responded to a competition to propose innovative, educational uses of SL to be featured on Innovation InfoIsland, a project of the Alliance Library system. I created a museum of SL music with considerable hours of work and also programmed several concerts that filled the sim. However Innovation InfoIsland soon bit the dust and the museum exhibits that were so painstakingly created had to be retrieved in a mad scramble to avoid deletion by new owners eager for rent-paying tenants.

I was encouraged to remain in the group and publicize concerts to the group. I didn't publicize every concert, selecting those that might be of the most educational interest. At some point my ability to send notices was rescinded. My contact in the group had no idea why, I left it that she'd sort it out and get those rights re-instated. I shrugged and forgot about it and occasionally sent an IM to the group about a concert that might be of interest. Then today after one IM about a classical piano concert I was booted by Abbey Zenith.

I have booted people from my group also... when they have begged money of group members or advertised things for sale on the group. I have never booted anyone for IMing about a cultural or educational event that might be of interest to members. I apologize to members of the Librarians group that might miss news of concerts that might interest them. But, please feel free to join the Music Island concert group.

It seems that the leadership of the Library 2.0 group is unsure of what types of notices their members would like to receive. I suggest that they get together and articulate a policy. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to not insult and eject potential allies and colleagues.

Music Island museum of music with exhibits of virtual instruments, how-to's of SL music and connections
to leading musicians streams, bios, recordings, as it existed before its deletion.

Does dissemination trump virtual presence for artists?

2011-05-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I read Thom Dowd's notice to the Early Music group with no surprise but with considerable sorrow and regret. The Second Life music pioneer was announcing the migration of his musical activities to Livestream & Livestream/Facebook. The rationale, he reported, was the ability to reach a larger audience. We will miss him in Second Life and at Music Island if this is--as it sounds--a final exit from virtual reality live concert events.

Almost two years ago I started to help Thom to research and develop video-streaming of his concerts into Second Life and I wondered how that might affect the magical feeling of "presence" that makes live SL concerts social occasions as opposed to the solitary experience of viewing a podcast on the web. Would it be possible to have that connection when the music was delivered via a flat screen in SL rather than avatar standins for real people? We found that having even one avatar (Thom) as MC at the video concerts connected the audience to the people on camera, and of course avatars were still gathered in one place sharing the concert in livetime, commenting and having their questions addressed. Actually the new format for sharing concerts worked better than I had imagined it would--in part because of Thom's engaging personality.

Recently I have been adding livestreaming to selected Music Island SL concerts as a way to give a keyhole into the virtual world for people without SL accounts. I use a second computer and an alt avi as "camera" and begin the broadcast live on http://www.livestream.com/musicisland as soon as the concert is set to begin. To me this is a way of drawing people into the magic of virtual reality, perhaps might help them choose to create an account and share a concert live, rather than taking the virtual presence out of the equation altogether.

At the root of the dissemination question are the limitations for attendance at SL concerts. Sim capacities are 30, 40 or 50 avatars in a sim (dependent upon server conditions and sim build & scripts). While musicians might hope to reach 100's or 1,000's via electronic dissemination, I know from coordinating live concerts that an audience of 50 or so for a new music or chamber concert by relatively unknown artists is par for the course. Research continually shows that people attend cultural events because people they know and trust recommend those events, and not because of advertising or hype. Star quality appeal is a rare and fragile phenomenon. This word-of-mouth dissemination is as true in Second Life as it is in meatspace. We tell our friends, our friends tell friends and the reputation of an artist and a musical series in Second Life grows. The commitment of those audience members to a series and the artists they follow in SL are very similar to RL subscribers. But because they are an international audience, the opportunities for new and valuable communication vectors for artists is substantial and proven by a number of international debuts and collaborations within the SL musician community.

Will the same connection and loyalties develop via Livestream only? At this point, I am a doubter. While the Livestream stations allow a chat feature during the broadcast, you need to be viewing the action on the station itself to enter text. Embedded livestream windows do not necessarily show chat and entering chat from the embedded windows did not work for me during my one attempt. Chat totally fails to engage me in the same way as SL. I have no sense of presence from knowing that others are in a chat space. Will others feel the same way? I'd like to know your thoughts.

How many online fans is enough for the purposes of the artists and music educators currently using? I know that will vary with individual goals. For the Oriscus Ensemble, it seemed enough to gaze out at 35 or 40 avatars from 15 or more nations around the globe.

What I'd like to see is parallel development of SL music with Livestream options. It is disappointing to hear some say that avatars are not necessary and an uneeded complication to offering a live musical experience. Am I just a dinosaur SL immersionist, or do others feel that there is a qualitative loss of audience experience to watching a Livestream concert on the flat web? I see it as scant improvement over live television.

One of the more difficult to tackle issues that hobbles the promotion of virtual concerts and mixed reality concerts, especially as education vehicles is the "gaming" and "adult content" reputations of Second Life. While Music Island is a PG area and our audience is very engaged and respectful, I have no ability to ensure that some avatar new to our content or new to SL will not behave or speak in an inappropriate manner before I can eject them. Just like a concert venue in RL, such disruptions happen. We toss the person and ban them in future. Why is the fear of such disruptions higher in virtual reality than in a downtown park concert where we know a crazy might disrupt with shouted obscenities? Those of us that are trying to raise the profile of Second Life artistic activity and engage RL arts organizations, sponsors and funders in supporting arts events in SL, really need the help of Linden Lab, starting with representing some of the creative uses of virtual reality on the front page. At one time the picture was balanced but now the dating and shopping aspect of SL predominates. Making new avatars aware that inappropriate behaviour in PG sims can get them ejected and banned should be an orientation station. Most avatars I eject and ban are surprised and shocked, often very angry, a situation that I expect does not aid in their retention. More education about sim appropriate behaviour would help.

Linden Lab have been keen to develop ties between Second Life and social media like Facebook. It appears that some SL musicians are saying that they can connect to social media without including the virtual audience at all. The virtual audience will be the losers in this and there will be fewer reasons to log in and stay in Second Life if this becomes a trend.

Second Life doesn't need to link to social media; it IS social media

2011-04-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

Reprinted here from a discussion from Linked-In on whether Second Life should/can connect with Facebook.

"From the beginning of my involvement with Second Life I have said that Linden Lab had a "build it and they will come" idea that was mystical and naive because it didn't take into account anything for people to do once they came or to understand why they would want to return or stay. Just looking at nice builds is mighty boring.

Linden Lab now seems hot to connect Second Life to Facebook and I have to laugh because they have failed to understand the ways that SL IS a social media. If they did so they would have priorized increasing SL groups before now, perhaps creating two sorts of groups, 1 for land management/perms and another type that is only for social events, arts, community communications. We know SL dating is a big thing, whether it is just to have a date to go SL dancing/clubbing or a way to meet someone as a potential RL spouse. Why did Linden Lab not think of an SL version of OK Cupid. I bet there are a few avatars that would drop a few Lindens to discover their virtual matches and/or SL businesses that would pay to advertise on such a guaranteed popular site.

I was invited to a meeting with some Linden marketing people more than a year ago as part of a group of music venue owners. The questions that we were met with betrayed an abysmal ignorance of the music business in general and more surprisingly the music business in SL. Live music is a huge draw. I send out about 2,000 notices to avatars inviting them inworld to attend events through my own list and group, and up to 8,000 more through other relevant groups. I twitter and facebook about events I host, all free publicity for SL. Linden Lab seemed to assume that we were making money on our venues. The fact is that we were all struggling to break even and our motivations for running music series was quite idealistic, personal, or linked to other external motivations. These days I see venue after venue closing, musicians drifting away from SL. My series continues although with slightly reduced audience and levels of support from the audience. The biggest hit for my series was the cuts to educational and non-profit subsidies. A lot of the audience members for classical and jazz performances were in SL as teachers, students or non-profit volunteers. The spin-offs of the reduced participation by that sector are only now being felt and will be felt more so in September.

What could LL have done to encourage us?

I've had several thoughts on this. First public quad sims for music events that different arts promoters could apply to use for large draw events. Submit a proposal X weeks in advance and get the sim for a few days. Start a Linden Arts Foundation making a competitive arts granting process available with meaningful levels of funding that would make an actual arts project possible in SL $10,000 to $25,000 would be my guess at the range needed to allow people to actually give up some of their RL income and invest time and effort in an SL arts initiative. Additionally to help existing series access support through other foundations. To do this, Linden staffers would actually have to be informed about SL arts practice. It has been infuriating to many of us over time when we see someone listed as the "best" whatever, when in fact they are far from the "best" but have recently bought a sim and made a big self-promotional noise. I remember a venue being listed as the "best classical venue in SL" when they had never hosted a classical event at anytime. Just as artists gravitate to cities that support the arts and those artists enrich tourism and the life of the cities, so artists will gravitate to the virtual worlds that support them.

Thom Dowd, Apr. 16 @ 12 noon

2011-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

SOLOS AND DUOS FOR RECORDERS
MUSIC ISLAND
12 p.m. SATURDAY 16 APRIL 2011
Françoise Prongué- Hofstetter, Marie Gillard,
Gorse Ferarris, Thom Dowd
Recorders

PROGRAM:

Sonata in C Major for Alto Recoder and B.C. Georg Philipp Telemann 1681-1767
Cantabile, Allegro, Grave, Vivace,

Sonate No.3 OP. 3 in F Major, for Alto Recorder and B.C., JOHN LOEILLET OF LONDON, 1680-1730
Adagio - Allegro - Larghetto - Allegro

Ballette Gravesand with variations, Jacob van Eyck, 1590-1657
Philis Schoone with variations, Jacob van Eyck, 1590-1657

Sonata No.4 in B flat major, Robert Valentine 1661-1747
Adagio, Allegro, Adagio Siciliana, Allegro Giga

Sonata No. 5 for 2 Alto recorders Georg Philipp Telemann
Largo, Vivace, Gratioso, Allegro

Liszt: Via Crucis April 20

2011-04-11T09:31:00.001-07:00

HEAVEN, EARTH, METAVERSE 12 pm PDT (SLT), 3 PM EDT, 9 PM in Italy

BENITO FLORES, piano (Alessandro Marangoni in RL)

Ars Cantica, choir

Marco Berrini, conductor

To view inworld you need a Second Life account and to be at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/57/23/22 at 12 noon Pacific Time or you can view on the old flat web via Livestream in this location.

Watch live streaming video from musicisland at livestream.com

March 27/11 Steam Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Wind… and words

2011-03-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Sandia Beaumont (Piano) & Shprav Oodles (Organ)
Steam Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Wind… and words.
SUNDAY MAR 27
12 NOON SLT
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/53/20/23

In First Life, as a solo pianist, Sandia Beaumont is regularly accompanied by symphonic orchestras. In Second Life, Sandia could only dream of having an orchestra to accompany her. The cost of orchestral performance is such that only a handful of full symphony concerts have been held in Second Life. Most orchestral accompaniments are synthesized or pre-recorded tracks.

But then along came Shprav Oodles, the exotic organist from Africa. Oodles made the outrageous claim that on the organ, he could accompany her and that he would out-orchestra any orchestra she cared to name. Beaumont laughed when he said this, but politely agreed to listen. Sandia stopped laughing when she heard Oodles play.

That was six months ago, and planning has been intense since then! Join us at Noon SLT (Pacific Time) on Sunday March 27, on Music Island, you can hear Oodles & Beaumont play for the very first time in Second Life or any other Life.

The Programme

A programme as hybrid (how contemporary !) as this could only be found in Second Life…

Michel Legrand – Melodies
W.A. Mozart – "Concerto in A K488" 1st & 2nd mvts, for piano and organ
G.F. Handel – "Concertino in A minor" for Harpsichord and Great Organ
Structured Improvisation – "Marzipan Mischief Boogie-Woogie"
Shprav Oodles – "Ex Machina" for piano, organ and synthesizer
Oodles & Beaumont – "Rain, Steam and Slivovitz" for piano and Steam Organ.

Second Life virtual-reality game: It's not time travel, but it's close - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

2011-02-24T06:12:00.000-08:00

Second Life virtual-reality game: It's not time travel, but it's close - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

It is nice to see a positive news story about Second Life but I'm not sure how the author could have written it and still called this complex 3D communications platform "a game".

2011-02-17T22:02:00.000-08:00

Eveline Noth and Ensemble
Saturday 19 Feb. at 12 pm SLT (PST)
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/57/23/23

If you attended Thom Dowd's concert with his colleague Eveline Noth in November then you know that you want to be there when the lovely Eveline Noth returns with 3 of her pre-professional students to present a virtuoso concert of music for recorders. If you missed the November concert, don't make the same mistake twice! They will perform music from the renaissance, baroque and modern periods.

This will be a multi-lingual world event presented in the virtual world of Second Life and over the Internet live via Itunes.

Open ITUNES/ advanced/ open audio stream/ paste http://38.96.148.45:8888
ok

PROGRAMME:

MUSIC ISLAND

Samedi, 19 février 2011, 12 P.M. SL
Concert de flûte à bec
Nadine PernyMarc Pauchard
Michèle Mülhauser
Eveline Noth

Hayne van Ghizeghem (1445-1497) De tous biens plaine, Nadine Perny, Michèle Mülhauser, Marc Pauchard
Marco Uccelini (1603-1680)
Aria sopra la Bergamasca, Nadine Perny, Marc Pauchard

Jacob van Eyck (1590-1657)
Pavane Lachrimae Marc Pauchard

Hans Ulrich Staeps(1909-1988), Presto possibile,Nadine Perny

Francesco Maria Veracini (1690-1768) Sonata Terza
Largo - Allegro - Largo - Allegro, Nadine Perny

Isang Yun (1917-1995), Der Affenspieler, Marc Pauchard

Jaques-Martin Hotteterre (1674-1763) Suite en mi mineur
Prelude Lentement, Vivement, Allemande, Tendrement, Marc Pauchard

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) Quartett d-Moll
Andante - Vivace
Nadine Perny
Michèle Mülhauser
Marc Pauchard

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Eveline started playing the recorder when she was 6 and never stopped.

As a child, she also played the clarinet and the traverse flute, but this special feeling, when the air goes through these little holes, the sound - no other instrument could compete with the recorder!

Eveline studied the recorder at the Universities of Biel and Zürich and got a degree in teaching and performance practice from Carsten Eckert and Kees Boecke. She presently teaches at the Conservatories in Fribourg and Bern as well as at the University of Arts in Bern (Switzerland.)

Music Island launches new outreach initiative at Rockcliffe University

2011-01-25T10:58:00.000-08:00

Rockcliffe University has graciously invited the Music Island concert series to be part of the distinguished educational and cultural offerings that the online university has been making happen in Second Life (and beyond) for the past three years.

We'll be bringing selected representative concerts from the Music Island series to a newly created Festivale Park location at Rockcliffe for the enjoyment of Rockcliffe students and faculty while also connecting the Music Island audience to the rich educational opportunities at Rockcliffe.

On Saturday, Jan 29, at 12 noon Thom Dowd will open the series with a concert of Renaissance duets

A very esoteric concert of Renaissance duos for Recorders featuring Thom Dowd and Françoise Prongué playing some very special renaissance recorders made by Thomas Prescott. The music is from the very end of the Italian renaissance and is a great example of the polyphony of the period.

Guiseppi Giamberti (ca.1600 in Rome, † ca. 1662) was an Italian Chapelmaster and Composer. Giamberti was a pupil of Nanino and Agostini and became the master of the chapel of the Orvieto Cathedral in Rome. Most of his compositions were of a sacred nature and his last published works went through three further editions they were so popular.
~ Keith Johnson, Rovi

PROGRAM

Gioseppe Giamberti 1657

I Perfidia sopra Ut Re Mi Fa Sol La Ténors
IX Ténors
XII Cantilena Ténors
XXI Alto-Ténor
XXII Alto-Ténor
XXXVI Villan di Spagna Ténors
XXXVIII Civetta Ténors
VIII Ballo di Mantua Soprano-Ténor
XVI Soprano-Ténor
XXV Ténor-Basse
III Scherzi sopra la Girometta Ténor-Basse
IV Bergamasca Ténor-Basse
V Fra Iacopino Alto-Basse
XXX Piva Alto-Basse
XXXIV Corrente Alto-Basse
XXXVII Corrente Alto-Basse

Paolo Fonghetti

12 Madrigali A cura di Andrea Bornstein (Verona 1598)

No 2 Deh, Dove Senza Me Alto-ténor
No 3 A Caso Un Giorno (Prima Parte) Soprano-Alto
No 16 Vidi Da Dui Bei Lumi Soprano-Alto

This concert can be heard live in ITUNES.
Open ITunes/advanced/open audio stream
paste http://38.96.148.45:8888/
ok

(Follow all Music Island concert listings regularly at http://musicisland.spruz.com)

Kate goes grid hopping

2011-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

I have been grid hopping in the past two days for my own edification and thoughts about future projects. I visited Reaction Grid, 3rd Rock and InWorldz for about the same time periods 2-3 hours and all with the latest Imprudence Viewer release. I am Kate Miranda in all of these grids. I have no business connection to any of these grids. This is one avatar's experience.

In Reaction Grid, I was met by no one and saw not a single avatar in my journeys. There were some basic freebies lying around the welcome area in boxes. I was able to outfit my avatar acceptably from the box contents. There was a monorail in the welcome area but it didn't seem to work. Things not working was my overall impression. I found the Content Creator's group that I had logged on to join (16 members), but couldn't find groups with basic search terms like "events" "music" "education". I tried to visit several regions but crashed on tp most of the time. I did get to Chilbo but when I tried to tp to another region, I crashed in tp again. I didn't find anything that told me land prices. I'm not saying that information was not there but I didn't stumble across it, and there was no one around to offer it to me or point me to the information. I saw less in Reaction Grid than the other two grids as I wasted a lot of time watching the teleport progress bar and unsuccessfully looking things up in Search.

In 3rd Rock I was greeted by one avatar I knew from attending concerts in SL and one of the founders was online and I got pulled immediately into a friendly discussion group in a conversation pit with about 6 folks. People were steadily coming and going. The founding member who was in the conversation group was wildly enthusiastic about a classical music series on his grid. Pricing for land and other information was readily available. Pricing was not bargain basement low but very reasonable compared to SL. There were basic good freebies arranged on walls similar to the NCI set up in SL and I quickly outfitted my avatar with decent skin, hair and a simple walk AO and a business pant suit. There was nothing sleezy in the freebie walls. The mood was upbeat and optimistic and everything worked rather well. I was given some landmarks of interest and all the teleports worked. One sims I visited was a replica of Lunenburg, NS and the building was on a par with the best in SL. One of the governance features of interest in 3rd Rock was that residents were able to suggest and vote on the development of public lands.(I'm fuzzy on the details of that). I was very impressed with the plans and performance of the grid. My sense was that I would get helpful support should I choose to locate a project there and that the people in charge knew what they were doing technically and from a business perspective.

The last grid I visited was InWorldz. Like 3rd Rock I was greeted by friendly people and the welcome portal was quite busy. My starting avatar was the most primitive of the 3 grids. Basically people arrive as Ruth. There are two large freebie stores to get your avatar looking okay. The stores look impressively glitzy. The greeter showed a group of us who arrived together (about 4 females and 2 males) to the freebie store. As we walked, we were sometimes sinking into the ground and other times getting that bendy knee avatar bug that used to happen a lot in SL. Prims turning phantom seems to be a problem, at least in Imprudence. I sank through stairs and couldn't walk on the second storey of the freebie store as I kept falling through the floor. Although the freebie store was huge, there was a lot of sleezy clothes and one AO I tried was Gorean in design and poses. One dress came packed with sex animations. In all, not giving me a sense that this welcome area was set up to reflect a businesslike attitude. I settled on an elven princess dress with ballet flats as the best I could do to not look sleezy. Land prices in InWorldz seemed lower than 3rd Rock but so far it seemed a lot less stable to me and overall gave me a bit of an ickey feeling that was hard to define. Although the greeter was very friendly in InWorldz, she was fielding questions from many people and seemed more comfortable talking about hair and clothes than grid development plans. When I asked about music, I learned that it was only recently possible and the only name that came to her mind as being involved was a German rock promoter I have met in SL in his vampire mode. Someone knowledgeable in SL music had recently told me there were "a lot" of musicians going to InWorldz ... which was why I wanted to check it out... so I expect I just ran into a greeter who didn't know.

If I had to locate a project in a grid based on just these single experiences, 3rd Rock would win hands down.

Frank Lloyd Wright Museum to close

2010-12-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

I was surprised to receive the following message, sent to the SLED (Second Life Educator's List)

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

I am saddened to announce the closure of FLWVM by request of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. We had been negotiating for next year's licensing agreement when they abruptly terminated discussions Monday, November 29, and immediately served FLWVM with a Cease & Desist Order. We are no longer able to present any images or works of Mr. Wright. As content providers to the SL community, that leaves us with nothing to provide.

We particularly regret this unhappy ending in that we considered ourselves an exemplary example of SL/RL interaction in working with the foundation devoted to preserving Mr. Wright's reputation, as we were, and doing so in an honorable fashion. We all know of the assumptions that can be made in SL when people build without regard for IP legalities in RL. That's not what the FLWVM board and staff are about.

We are an active, interested group of people, seriously devoted to bringing interesting material to the SL community. We have non-profit status with the US Government, and don't want to see that going to waste. Once the removal is completed December 10, 2010, we will regroup and discuss future possibilities.

Speaking of legalities, if you know of anyone building, selling, representing anything Wrightian in SL, I would strongly advise them to proceed with great caution - they can expect to hear from the foundation's attorney soon. Please feel free to contact me for any further information.

For those who would like to join us, you are cordially invited to a Good-bye to All That dance at the FLWVM site Friday, December 3, 2010. From 6:00-7:00 pm SLT we will have a live performer and from 7:00-9:00 pm SLT there will be a DJ spinning tunes and taking requests. If you can stay until the end, you will find a hauntingly appropriate song being played.

Rosalie Oldrich
Co-Executive Director
Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum

Full Moon Lunacy Concert Nov. 21, 6 pm SLT

2010-11-21T06:19:00.000-08:00

Oh, thank goodness! Another Full Moon Lunacy concert, #11/12 to be precise begins tonight on Music Island...join Aldo as he presents another hour of live improv...

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/57/23/22

Will Microsoft or any other buyer want to buy an empty Second Life shell?

2010-10-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Linden Lab recently served notice that they were going to double the tier fees for non-profits and educational sims, sending universities, non-profits and graduate students with limited budgets into a flurry of thoughts about how to cut 50% of their costs. Some are talking about reducing sims, some are talking about sharing sims, and others are talking about leaving SL entirely. Very few have the ability to simply double what they pay to Linden Lab. Average residents reel as awareness grows that the heart will be carved out of the SL community with the loss of so many of the educational and non-profit organizations and individuals who have contributed so much.

Speculation on listservs and blogs includes the thought that LL hopes to make their bottomline more attractive by inflating their Accounts Receivable, but are these rents that they will really be able to collect?

In an economic climate where most are cutting their budgets (from all sectors)it is guaranteed that, instead, those organizations who elect to stay in Second Life will make do with half of the space. Even in good times, a increase in project budget of this size would take time for an educational institution or research project within the organization to respond to: allocation requests would have to be submitted and approved, grants would have to be applied for, decisions would have to be made. Had there been any warning of this fee increase, or had it been phased in gradually, some institutions might have been able to adjust. However a sudden increase like this in another lightening fast reversal of previous Linden policy not only makes educators feel unwanted, it adds to the long list of sudden reversals, changes, flip-flops, contradictory policies that have shaken the confidence of residents at every level of participation in the virtual world. But the bad news won't stop there!

I fear that some decision-makers at Linden Lab may think "So what, let them go, we don't make most of our money on educational sims and non-profits! Let's free up resources to be used at full market value."

The trouble with that view is a blindness that has plagued LL since the beginning. Despite the occasional platitude, all their actions seem to betray a firm mindset that Second Life's attraction and retention rate is solely or primarily the result of what Linden Lab has developed, Linden marketing and orientation of new avatars. What would Second Life be like without the user-created content? Vast lands of the same few trees, land textures , or and let's not forget those Linden Homes! Is this a place anyone would find interesting? How many of the more interesting builds in SL have been created by non-profits, universities, students and non-profit volunteers within Second Life? I don't have any research but anecdotally most of the interesting builds I am aware of from the Sistine Chapel to the Center for Water Studies to the SL Quaker Meeting House are all educational or non-profit sims. How many interesting builds are created by business? Will an SL of endless shopping malls and big box stores attract more or less citizens?

But avatars' engagement with SL and retention of interest in the virtual world does not stop with exploring builds, in fact in my observation, that's a minority interest. I meet a lot of new residents at Music Island. People come into Second Life wanting to socially interact with others and to do things that interest them. If you look at the listings in the Second Life search engine for things to do, how many of those opportunities are provided by business? How many are provided by individuals? How many are offered by non-profits? How many are hosted by educators?

Once you get past the sales and gimmicks to increase sim traffic stats for businesses, you find many events, exhibits, conferences and discussion groups are created by educators and non-profits. With Linden Lab's doubling of fees, will these events decrease by a corresponding 50% or will there be more of a snowball effect that will more drastically reduce interesting educational, artistic, and informational content within Second Life?

A fair number of other events you see on the SL listings are created by well-meaning individual residents as volunteers. Music Island concerts falls into this group. Many of these individuals, whom I know as colleagues, are willing to give back to the Second Life community because of the quality of the community--a community that includes educational institutions and non-profits that they are a part of or support. In turn, they enjoy being in Second Life themselves because of the enriching atmosphere of learning, discussion, discovery and fun. Other individuals are running pilot projects that they had hoped to run in association with an educational or non-profit organization in the future, or incorporate as a non-profit themselves.

New residents' principle source of help in Second Life is from educational organizations and non-profits who provide free or PWYC (pay what you can) resources including freebie walls, orientation packages and courses in building, making clothing, how to roleplay, and discussion groups on SL relationships/identity issues. I think it is highly likely that I would not have been in SL for the past 5 years had it not been for groups like NCI that taught me to build and pointed me to things of interest. Over those years I have contributed thousands of dollars to the SL economy directly, and contributed much more indirectly through my unpaid labour in coordinating concerts for the benefit of SL musicians and audience members. Every potential resident like me who fails to be engaged in SL because there are fewer non-profit courses, events and support location is a huge loss in revenue stream down the line for Second Life.

Last week, at Music Island I hosted a concert by an SL musician who is a great favorite among our audience, Young Zeid. The sim was full and I was gratified to see among the audience some avatars who had not been online for awhile. I spoke to some in IM. From them I heard similar stories. "SL has not been the same lately with the lay-offs, the damned new viewer, a lot of sims closing, my friends leaving, my project cancelled. . . BUT... I saw your listing for a concert by Young in my email and it seemed like a good time to come back online and visit here and see what's going on. Concert is great and it is good to be here". This was a demonstration of something that should be obvious to Linden Lab, people are retained in Second Life when they have a community and as Richard Florida has pointed out, the creative class of educational and creative workers contribute their weight in gold to the economic health of communities.

If educators and non-profits leave Second Life, it will be less painful for them than it will be for Linden Lab and for individual Second Life residents. Educators and non-profits can migrate their projects to OpenSim or other virtual worlds, for many it will have little impact on their ablity to deliver their courses and projects. However individual SL residents will miss out on the participation and content contributions of educators and students in the community.

My dedication to Second Life was based on the idea that it was a platform that could make a difference in global understanding, the environment, democratic participation, arts practice... a score of different things that were the result of non-profits and volunteers choosing to work within this virtual world.

My Second Life includes non-profit workers, volunteers and educators.

On the demonstrated principle that Linden Lab only cares about money in these days, I would suggest that as a community we take the following actions:

1. Twitter/blog/post everywhere that there will be a vast reduction in interesting content on SL if non-profits and educational institutions leave SL.

2. Boycott Marketplace in protest but support your SL businesses inworld.

3. Ask people to pledge a discontinuance of Premium Accounts by Dec 31, 2010 if LL does not continue discounts for Education and Non-profits.

4. Start Facebook/Linked-In groups to publicize actions.

5. Spend spare minutes in SL at welcome centres handing out notecards to newbies telling them how their SL experience will be adversely affected by the reduction in non-profit and educational presence in SL

6. On a protest day (TBD) cancel all eductional, non-profit, and affiliated events. Publicize the results in attendance.

If you do any of the above, please post in comments here so we can all support each other's effort to build a protest to this disasterous course of action.

Thom Dowd and Friends September 25

2010-09-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thom, Gorse and Daniel will open the early music season with favorites of the renaissance and baroque periods. Josquin, Dowland, van Eyke, Marcello, Demoivre etc. The concert will be on Sat. Sept. 25 at 12 pm pacific, 3 pm eastern, 21.00 Suisse and will be an audio only concert for the best possible quality.

Listening address is http://38.96.148.45:8888

Cindy Ecksol, September 19 @ 12 pm SLT

2010-09-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 19 @ 12 pm SLT
Labour Day Echoes
Cindy Ecksol, American Roots music
In this program, Cindy will wander through the songs of work and workers with her usual mixture of historical and musical context and a dash of warm humour about the absurdities of life in our own century.

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.

at: MUSIC ISLAND, SEA TURTLE ISLAND

Pianist Showcase September 18 @ 12 pm SLT

2010-09-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

Keyboardists: Waltkeys Faith & JooZz Magic

~ Waltkeys Faith ~

From Walt:

I'm a musician who composes and loves to perform! I say I play Jazz piano because Jazz encompasses all styles of music. I reflect that in my writing.I'm working with Trowser Boa in Real Life, as well as many other jazz, blues, gospel and rock groups! Sandy Demina is helping me connect with clubs and audiences in Italia and Europa. Give me a call directly if you would like to talk about performing in The States.

Go boldly and dare to suck! I'm always amazed at what comes out of me when I do that.

Here are some links to articles that have been written about me.

http://showcaseliveinsecondlife.blogspot.com/

http://cisumwebzine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108:waltkeys-faith-interview&catid=37:reviews&Itemid=54

~ JooZz Magic ~

JooZz is a Dutch musician, who started his musical career at the age of six. Playing the recorder first, which was replaced by the piano a year later. First band was formed at highschool and ever since JooZz is deeply in love with Music.

In 1982 he entered the Rotterdam Conservatory, but family business needed him badly. Now, a few years later, it's Music Time again.....finally.

The music of JooZz is best described as “coming from nowhere, going places”. Starting from scratch, JooZz takes you along to many exciting musical destinations, transferring breathtaking vistas into jewels of brilliant sound. Sometimes danceable, always rich, spiked with healthy doses of melancholy and lessons of life. Using the piano as a base point of reference, JooZz’s compositions, independent of any music style, keep your mind in motion until the next time you hit the ‘play’ button.

More JooZz at:

http://www.myspace.com/joozz

http://www.youtube.com/bradmonnett

http://www.reverbnation.com/joozz

Have you noticed the new SL "Destination Guide" ?

2010-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

I think we all need to keep our eye on the changes and new content on the SL homepages.

A few days ago a Music Island audience member came to me to say that she'd tried to point a new resident in the direction of my Music Island concert series, telling her that it could be found under the Showcase tab in "Music Venues".... but... it wasn't there! She'd looked on the web and discovered that there was a new "Destination Guide" replacing showcase and that "classical" had ceased to exist as a genre so Music Island had ceased to exist as well apparently. (And yet we are still hosting concerts weekly).

I finally got around to wrestling with this yesterday morning. Indeed at that time there wasn't a single category in "Music" that I could put our series in. "Indie/Alternative" was perhaps the closest among the choices which ranged from Club/Bar, to Rock, to Blues/Jazz, Country... and so on. All the sub-sets of popular, social music were there.

With some difficulty I found a link to a submission form for a "new" listing (for a series operating since 2007) and started to fill it in. First problem, I needed a photo with specific dimensions hosted on Flickr only. (I use Picassa). Damn... searching on my old computer for an old Flickr account user-name. Edit a photo to exact specs and upload, figure out how to get the URL for the photo in a changed Flickr interface. Next problem.... the field with "genre".... I leave it blank. Write my summary and comments. Hit submit. Submission fails. I try again picking Indie/Alternative and sending along comments about how this was just to get the bleeping submission form to load. Submission fails. I have now spent two hours trying to solve this. I do more searches on the SL site and in the wiki I find a link to an email address to send to if the Destination Guide submission form borks up on you. I pile all my information in an email ... with assorted bitching attached... and fire it off.

Later in the day I tell this story at an inworld meeting and someone searches on Music Island and surprisingly finds it on the Destination Guide. It was in fact the submission I had made earlier in the day (miracle of miracles) but it was slotted with 18 assorted others in a new "genre" category called "Live Music Spots". Hmmmm. I think a number of the rock, country, etc. venues also hold "live events" so this is confusing and a "live music spot" is not a "genre". Since Music Island is on page 3 of the category, I'm sure that we weren't the first ones to say... "hey where are we supposed to fit in this guide?" I was left wondering why in this age where "everything is miscellaneous" we weren't seeing a system based on tagging with the resultant folksonomy rather than trying to create a classification system which will always be limited by the knowledge and worldview of the classifier.... as demonstrated by his/her ignoring of classical music in SL.

Although this might seem like a somewhat happy ending to the story, no one at the meeting using the old viewer or a TPV could access all of the information on the Destination Guide intuitively. Clicking the old "Showcase" tab on search brought up a link to the new Destination Guide but only showed them up only the first few categories on the guide.

Just in case you thought "search" was getting better.

This is not a deathly blow to the Music Island series because I have built up an inworld group of 1575 members and a maillist of 900 more. Most people come to concerts through group notices or at the invitation of a group member. I also post on a few other related groups where appropriate. However, I initially built the group from people finding the venue listing in events or showcase and checking us out. I don't know how many times people have said to me that it took them weeks/months to find Music Island and once there they connected to other events, groups and individuals who led them to an enriched cultural life in SL, that in fact their attendance had been a major turning point in their participation and retention in SL. For the most part these are well-educated and affluent consumers with a lot to offer the virtual world.

So let's make it difficult for them to find the cultural activities they crave?

p.s. Since writing this post I have heard from someone else not happy with another classification of their favorite spot.

Fourth of July Weekend Concert

2010-07-03T13:59:00.001-07:00

Bring your July 4 in with a bang!
Cindy Ecksol, American folk song
July 3 @ 6 pm SLT
Fireworks by RacerX Gullwing to follow

SL's grand wizard of Kaboom, RacerX Gullwing will president over the incendiary conclusion to this evening's concert, following our favorite lady of the American heartland, Cindy Ecksol.

June 5, 6 and 7 on Music Island

2010-06-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

A varied program coming up on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Second Life from experimental to traditional to world music. Whether you like staying with what you know and love or have an adventurous spirit and love expanding your listening palette, you'll find something to enjoy this week.

SATURDAY JUNE 5 @ 11 AM SLT
Enniv Zarf, pianist/composer
The MUSE-IC BOX CONCERT

Bring out your poems! Bring out your poems! Enniv will be inspired by your favorites this Saturday. Whether it is a classic poem you've always loved or your own work, send it to Kate Miranda for inclusion in the MUSE-IC box. Enniv will be drawing notecards out of the box to find inspiration for piano improvisation in the notecards you provide. Send your notecards to Kate Miranda inworld or to katemir@gmail.com by email by 5 pm SLT Friday June 4.

SUNDAY JUNE 6 @ 1:30 PM SLT
Izabela Jaworower, violin

The lovely Izabela joins us for a violin recital of all of your favorites and a few you have not heard yet in SL.

MONDAY JUNE 7 @ 12 PM (noon) SLT
Atheene Dodonpa, soprano
Songs from the gypsy campfire

The lovely Atheene Dodonpa is an early music specialist who has brought us wonderful programs in the past such as her memorable musical tour of a Crusader encampment, medieval songs, and a program focusing on the prolific compositions of Abbess Hildegarde von Bingen.

In this program Atheene will turn her attention to the people of the Wagon, Europes Gypsies. Their origins are steeped in myth and mystery and their music has inspired many great classical composers. Now hear the original songs and learn about their history.

Is music the "killer app" for Second Life?

2010-05-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of my recent appearance on the Metanomics, host Jennette Forager suggested that Linden Lab's CEO had remarked that music could well be the "killer app" for Second Life. Unfortunately this comment and other questions about the economics of music, the "business of music" came too near the end of the session to be fully addressed.

The subject has been very much on my mind of late because I (along with other selected music venue/series hosts) had been asked to meet with Pete Linden, Catherine Linden, and some representatives of an independent marketing firm that the Lindens have hired to market Second Life. At the top of the agenda of that meeting was determining what positive stories we had to tell of music in Second Life and also what we might be willing to share in news stories or online formats.

Coincidentally in the same week I had been talking to RL arts colleagues about an arts marketing initiative of the Canadian government called "Culture Days" in which we are being requested to host some sort of public event to promote arts awareness in our communities. My colleagues' response was "So they want us to work for nothing for a day for some publicity scheme? No thanks!"

An SL musician invited to a private meeting with the Lindens on their marketing plans shared with me that--while he loves performing in SL--this invitation to help market sounds like another case of asking artists to work for nothing and he'll be declining if that's the case.

What is lacking in both RL and SL with all these seemingly great ideas from marketers is how the artists will get paid for the use of their time and talents. There is often a profound misunderstanding of how business is conducted in the arts, the extent to which artists desire particular types of promotion and the restrictions that may be in place preventing the use of particular artists or artistic products for promotional purposes.

Almost every year in my RL orchestra management positions someone from marketing or a Board member would suggest, "hey let's take the orchestra to the mall and do a radio remote as a subscription drive!" I would then hand them a spreadsheet of the costs to rehearse and transport the musicians and gear, pay musician union wages (with broadcast fee) and tell them how many subscriptions we would need to sell in order to cover the costs (usually more than seats in the house, and always more than was reasonable to expect in a two hour program). Only with corporate or foundation support for 50% or more of the costs of the performance, did this become a viable marketing initiative for the orchestra. Oddly enough almost everything you do in the arts boils down to about that 50/50 ratio of income and public support.

What is the public benefit of music in RL and SL? Can you imagine SL without clubs and dancing, the excitement of live music? It is a big part of the "stuff to do" in SL and what keeps people coming in, establishing accounts and wanting to buy land and doll up their avatar. Why dress up when you have nowhere to go to dance, to see and be seen?

In the US, the arts generates $166 B annually in economic activity. Cultural activities do more to bring tourists into cities than major league sports and the people attending cultural activities stay longer and spend more than sports enthusiasts. The economic spinoffs of the arts benefit everyone in the community in indirect ways. More gas sold at the pumps, less crime on streets filled with people coming from arts events, more restaurant jobs, more hotel jobs, more work for printers and marketers, employed musicians and artists in the community who contribute financially and artistically. A healthy arts sector is a key indicator of a healthy city. It pays corporations, communities and foundations to invest in the arts to enable arts organizations to close the gap between what they can sell artistic products for and what it takes to produce those products. Arts organizations give back financial rewards to communities in excess of the support they need to keep them afloat.

The Second Life business community similarly is benefiting from our Second Life artists but is doing little so far to assist in making our music venues, galleries, theatres and dance companies run on a stable financial footing. I realize that business community has its own challenges. I do welcome Pete Linden's factfinding mission on SL music but I think that the stories he is looking for--financial successes for musicians founded in SL music ventures--will be rare.

People often remark about the success Music Island has in routinely having capacity audiences for our performances. What they don't realize is the amount of work that has gone into that over the past couple of years and continues to go into it on a weekly basis. My average time commitment to the Music Island series is two work days a week. While that figure usually astonishes people, when I break down the tasks it seems difficult to imagine how it doesn't take more (and it sometimes does) 1. Reaching and booking artists 2. Getting program, bios, details for posting 3. Creating notecards for the event 4. Creating poster art for the event. 5. posting events on Google calendar, Music Island site, blogging, twittering, SL events listings. 5. Inworld group announcements 6. Group invitations and maillist invitations 7. Configuring inworld mailer device and sending mailer messages, 7 soundchecks and teaching new musicians to stream 8. Meeting with musicians and/or colleagues about projects, festivals, special events. 9 updating lightbox, notegivers 10. hosting concerts themselves 11. doing inworld and rl presentations on music in Second Life. If I were paid my usual salary for this work I would be expecting about $20,000. (pro-rated on my usual fulltime earnings as an arts manager). This has been my personal donation to the Second Life community at a time when I knew that there was not an economic model in place to actually pay for this work, but the work was needed in order to demonstrate what music could do in SL, artistically and as a social and economic catalyst. In the same spirit artists have been donating thousands of dollars worth of their time and talents in performance.

It is a great first step that Linden Lab employees are starting to realize the role that music plays in Second Life. However it would be naive of them to believe that the music community can continue forever on volunteer efforts and funded from personal pocketbooks alone. Music Island is a house of cards with three cards leaning on each other. 1) the donation of artists performances at rates that would cause AF of M representatives to have conniptions 2) the donation of my time as administrator/publicist 3) the donation of the venue space with the only cost my residency tier contribution. These contributions make my costs for running Music Island a total of about $60 per month, and we normally receive about that in $L contributions. The real monthly costs for running Music Island would about $3000 per month approximately equally divided between artistic fees, administrative costs and facility costs.

A $36,000 barebones annual budget for an arts project of the international scope of Music Island should not be cost-prohibitive but what is needed is the political will and awareness of individuals at the top decision-making levels of Linden Lab that we in the arts need help in making our case and connecting to a new type of arts funder. Most arts funders support local, regional and national arts initiatives because of the promotion of quality of life and preservation of national cultural treasures. As an experienced grant writer I can't build a case for funding arts in Second Life to any of the traditional funding sources I apply to annually for RL based arts projects in the Toronto area. If Linden Labs is to continue to benefit from the "killer app" of music in SL, rather than see venue owners and series promoters give up as their resources dry up, we are going to have to make a case together to the international business and arts community about the fit between the marketing of arts internationally and the promotion of the 3D platform as a healthy community for education, business and social networking.

Miriam Forsythe, piano May 23 @ 12 pm SLT

2010-05-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

"Old Friends and New Friends"
May 23 @ 12 pm SLT (PDT)
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

PROGRAM:

* Arrangements of Pentecost Sunday hymn tunes: "Spirit, I Have Heard You Calling" and "Come, O Spirit" (EBENEZER)
* Frederic Chopin - Ballade no. 3
* Erno von Dohnanyi - Postludium from Winterreigen, op. 13
* J. Russel Robinson - Sapho Rag
* Ludwig van Beethoven - Grande Sonate Pathetique, op. 13
* George Frideric Handel - Air and Variations from Suite no. 1
* Amy Beach - Scottish Legend
* Lincoln Antonio - O Pianista Invisivel (The Invisible Pianist)
* Sergei Rachmaninoff - Prelude no. 11 from Op. 32

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Miriam Forsythe is a classical pianist who performs a range of music from Bach to new music. Her style is full of emotion and energy. As a dance accompanist in real life, she has a special love for music with exciting rhythms, and gives each piece its own personality.

Miriam Forsythe (Heather W. Reichgott) is a preacher, scholar of theology, pianist, and composer. She studied piano throughout childhood and adolescence, participating in many recitals and competitions both as a pianist and as a composer. After discerning a call to ministry she pursued degrees in religion. Meanwhile, she continued to study piano for two years with Prof. Peter Takacs at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and worked as an accompanist. She presently works as a ballet accompanist at Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Amherst Ballet School (where some of her compositions have been featured in performances).

Yuki Ukita, piano Thurs April 15 @ 7 am SLT

2010-04-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yuki Ukita, piano
Thursday April 15
7 am SLT (PDT)
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

A wave of great musicians have been arriving in Second Life from Japan and Music Island audiences are fortunate enough to be hearing from two leading lights this month. First pianist Yuki Ukita (YukithePianoPlayer Hutchison in SL) and later this month soprano Haruno Watanabe.

Yuki has planned an ambitious program sure to delight the audience.

Program:
Part I：

1 BWV 1068 Air/　--　J.S. Bach
2 Kanon　--　Johann Pachelbel
3 K.331　--　Mozart
4 Etude Op.10 No.3　--　Chopin
5 Etude Op.10 No.12--　Chopin
6 Nocturne Op.9 No.2　--　Chopin
7 Ave Maria　--　Gounod
8 La Campanella　--　Liszt
9 Liebestraume No.3　--　Liszt
10 "Un sospiro"--　Liszt
11 Lieder ohne Worte Op.30 No.6　-- Mendelssohn
12 Lieder ohne Worte Op. 62 No.6 --Mendelssohn
13 Ave Maria　--　Schubert
14 Traumerei　--　Schumann

Part II：

15 Radetzkymarsch　--　Strauss
16 Op.37b No.10　--　Tchaikovsky
17 Aufforderung zum tanz　--　Weber
18 Clair de lune　--　Debussy
19 Reverie　--　Debussy
20 Op.43 No.6　--　Grieg
21 Op.3 No.1 Elegie　--　Rachmaninoff
22 Pavane pour une infante défunte　--　Ravel
23 Gymnopedie No.1　--　Satie
24 Je te veux　--　Satie

Zachh Cale, piano Sat Apr 10 @ 12 pm SLT

2010-04-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

Zachh Cale, piano
Saturday, April 10
12 pm SECOND LIFE TIME (Pacific Daylight Time)
at Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Join Zachh for some standards and originals. Zachh is a Music Island favorite performer who we've not heard from since December 2009.

At Zachh's first performance, Linden Lab (in their usual lack of regard for the quality programming that makes people want to visit Second Life) decided to restart the sim that the audience was sitting in. As the stage area was in another sim, the ever calm and affable Zachh called out, "Come up and gather round the piano" and we did, weathering the re-start storm on stage for 10 minutes.

I have thought since that day that "Gather 'round the piano" is an apt description for the relaxed and intimate experience of a Zachh Cale concert.

Atheene Dodonpa, early music Thurs Apr 8 @ 1 pm

2010-04-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

ATHEENE DODONPA
Medieval Song
Thursday, April 8 @ 1 pm SLT

Accompanying herself on the nun's fiddle, lap harp, hurdy-gurdy or other rarily heard instruments as needed, Atheene's haunting soprano travels the world of the Middle Ages to bring us songs from all cultures in the languages that the works were written and performed in.

If you have attended one of Atheene's concerts previously you will know why they are not to be missed and will prudently arrive at Music Island early to avoid disappointment.

2010-04-03T10:29:00.001-07:00

Sandia Beaumont, piano and harpsichord
MUSIC ISLAND, SEA TURTLE ISLAND
SUNDAY APRIL 4, 3 PM SLT

PROGRAM:
Debussy: Arabesque No.1
Scriabin: Prelude in G flat, Op. 16 No. 3
Etude Op. 2 No. 1
Prelude Op. 11 No. 10
Beethoven: Op. 28, Mvts 2, 3 & 4
Mozart: K.284

Young Zeid, violin @ Music Island Mar 28, 2010 12: 30 pm SLT

2010-03-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

Young Zeid, violin/Viola Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
March 28, 2010
12: 30 pm SLT (Pacific Daylight Time)

Program:

Bee F. Schubert ( 1808-1878)
From a set of bagatelles, published in 1856 by the German composer and violinist Franz Anton Schubert. (not to be confused with the earlier and much more famous Austrian composer Franz Schubert. )

Meditation" from Thais J. Massenet(1842-1912)
Though the 3 act opera by Massenet is seldom performed, the intermezzo that opens the third Act remains a popular work for violin.

Romanza Andaluza P. Sarasate (1844-1908),
One of the leading violinists of his era Spanish-born, Pablo de Sarasate was well-known for composing stunning showpieces for the violin that would leave his audiences gasping.

Czardas v. Monti (1868-1922)
A popular rhapsody inspired by a Hungarian gypsy dance, composed for violin and piano is the only famous work by Monti. It has been re-arranged for just about every instrument and also for orchestra.

Milonga en Re A. Piazzolla (1921-1992)
A popular tango from the Argentinian composer.

Entertainer Joplin (1868-1917) arr. J. Heifetz
A member of the first generation of American black citizens after slavery, Scott Joplin was a successful composer of ragtime pieces for the piano. His work has never entirely disappeared from American music but had a popular revival due to being featured prominently on the score of the popular 1970's film, "The Sting". Jascha Heifetz arranged "The Entertainer" for violin to serve as a crowd-pleasing encore for his own concerts.

Kol Nidrei M. Bruch (1838-1920)
Bruch was not Jewish but was struck by the beauty of a traditional Jewish hymn Kol Nidre that forms a part of the Yom Kippur service. The melody was inspiration for a work originally composed for cello and orchestra.

Violin concerto in e minor F. Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
One of the most popular violin concerti, this work was Mendelssohn's first major work and is a staple of the violin repertoire. In three movements.

1. Allegro, molto appassionato (E minor)
2. Andante (C major)
3. Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace (E major)

About the Artist:

Young Zeid (SL)/Xi Yang (RL), violin/viola
BIO

Xi Yang 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 of Chinese History.

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.

Temporary Remodelling of Music Island for AOM concert

2010-03-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

"Why is Music Island all mixed up?" said one visitor to MI this morning.

Instead of one stage and seating areas there are two. This state of affairs will persist only until after the Avatar Metaverse Orchestra concert on Sat. Mar. 27. Because of the unique nature of the performance, audience and musicians must be in the same simulation.

For streamed music having the performers across a sim line shelters them from audience lag and assures performers won't be locked out of a full sim should they be disconnected. But for AOM that uses inworld sounds, the sim line is an obstacle to the transmission of their inworld sound content.

So don't be surprised by the changes. Also, get there early as the one sim format means lower capacity! Come early to avoid disappointment.

Avatar Metaverse Orchestra Mar 27 @ 1 pm SLT

2010-03-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Unlike most musicians and musical ensembles in Second Life who perform in the real world and stream their sound (and sometimes video) livetime into the virtual world, the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse (AOM) performances feature virtual instruments designed for each composition within the Second Life platform. The instruments are played using Heads Up Displays (HUD) on the computer screens of artists from around the world making this unique live music together in real time.

Performances are visually as well as musically interesting with the virtual instruments being abstract wearable art sculptures. It is truly a new form of art not possible in real life.

The Avatar Orchestra Metaverse is a global collaboration of artists that approaches the virtual reality platform Second Life as an instrument itself. The Orchestra conceives, designs and builds its own virtual instruments, making it possible for each individual performer in the Orchestra to trigger sounds independent from one another and to play together in real time. These instruments feature sound, visuals, and animations. A performance of a jumping, hovering, floating, dancing, and twirling Avatar Orchestra Metaverse is a truly spectacular event.

Avatar Orchestra performs regularly in Second Life and in mixed reality events at new media, music and visual arts centres in North America, Europe and Asia.

Visit AOM on the web: http://avatarorchestra.blogspot.com/

Zen Qork Sat Mar 20 8 am SLT

2010-03-19T22:12:00.001-07:00

Zen Qork, Improvisational Piano
Saturday March 20, 8 am SLT
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sea%20Turtle%20Island/59/21/851

Zen Qork AKA Alessandro Lecce is a new classic and film music composer.

Born in 1969 in Milan, Italy, where he studied composition, piano, choral singing, clarinet and music animation. Many of his compositions have been bought by different sound libraries. He also worked as a teacher for several courses of specialisation in new music pedagogy, music therapy and musical entertainment. His conviction is that emotions are a true creative power and of course the music can be a great source of emotions. Currently his work is oriented to the composition of pieces with the hope to be helpful in creating positive emotions.

You can listen to his work at - http://www.thesixtyone.com/#/sarnatale69/ and www.musicale-online.com

Must we have sim re-starts in the middle of events?

2010-03-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we had a full house when Linden Labs deleted the stage side of Music Island. Previously the start time had been delayed 10 minutes when the audience half of the venue was re-started and everyone who had arrived at the top of the concert ran over the sim line and onto the stage. Subsequent arrivers landed in the ocean or were re-routed to other sims or simply had the program crash on them so that it took awhile to gather an audience to begin the concert.

While this might be understandable during an impromptu event, this event was on the official Second Life calendar of events. How hard would it be for Linden Labs to route sim restarts around scheduled events? Or, to check for high occupancy in sims and delay re-starts in 1 hour increments perhaps 3 times before disrupting popular content.

Doesn't this just make business sense?

During the same week a colleague from virtual music let me know that he had been engaged by Blue Mars to PLAN for musical programming in that virtual world. I adore Second Life, my community and friends are here. However, hearing about a virtual world that made planning for content part of its mandate really made me realize that this is the way things should be.

Right now most of what makes Second Life worth a second visit is the varied and rich array of neat things to do that are largely created and staffed by volunteers. We get burned out. We get tired of the lack of memory in SL that eclipses our accomplishments of years when the "flavour of the day" new project duplicates our work. We get exhausted by gibes from colleagues in RL. We fund stuff from our own pockets as events in SL seem unable to scale as for-profit, nor gain sponsorship/grants for not-for-profit.

And then on top of all that Linden Lab comes along and says, "Oh you've given up two paid days of work a week to run a concert series in SL this year. Silly you. We don't have time to give any attention to your concert schedule ourselves. Now we're re-starting the sim on you because our time is more valuable than yours or the performers or any of the 50 or so avatars in your audience."

I suppose I shouldn't take it personally, shouldn't feel it as a slap in the face for all our work over the past two years. But I do.

We weathered it. We had a laugh. Some found it a bonding experience. I used to feel the same way. I was sure that this would be fixed. The value of content would be appreciated.

But these days I think more and more that I'm whistling into the wind. If RL music doesn't care and the decisionmakers in Second Life don't care, why should I be spending my time, taking a pay cut, stressing out and so on to coordinate events that are tossed aside so casually.

Beginning to be another burned out SL volunteer I'm afraid.

Duo Appassionato Mar 4 @ 8 am

2010-03-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

Fantastic Euro-friendly time for Thursday's concert
Thursday Mar 4 @ 8 am SLT
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Duo Appassionato possesses exceptional virtuoso ability and musical harmony rarely found in two instrmentalists of the same genre performing together. Both active solo performers of unsurpassed spirit and flair, the duo has a refreshing stage presence and often explores a repertoire that is rarely performed because of its unusually demanding nature. They project " virtuosic devilry and imagination..." and their playing is " stunning and incredibly well matched". Their presence is a highlight to any recital or concert stage.

Violinist Izabela Spiewak began her international music career at the age of 5, and was awarded a scholarship to a music school for gifted young artists at the age of 8. She is performed chamber music concerts, recorded albums with musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Eduardo Mata, Placido Domingo and Yehudi Menuhin.

Xi Yang 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. 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 . 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.

Teleport to Music Island

How anonymity in Second Life works against a positive reputation for artistic practice in virtual spaces

2010-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Anonymity as the enemy of artist branding: "Who is this guy again?"

I don't like to think of the arts as a product. I blanche when marketing folks talk about the importance of "branding" to a roomful of arts managers and artists. Afterall we like to think that we are in the business of providing transformative experiences and not just a product. We hope that the audience will reward the quality of the art and not the brand name.

But in our busy world, we want to easily find what we like and trust, and that includes the artists and arts organizations that fit our interests and consistently deliver experiences that enrich our lives.

In Second Life, performing artists who wish to promote their art in the virtual world are forced to create new identities rather than import their known real world brand. Then they have to bridge the gap the second time to take their inworld followers out to sites to market CD's or downloadable files. Some have decided to market themselves in SL separately, giving up on trying to make the links. This means doubling up on social networking identities, broadcasts and sites. Why does it have to be this hard? Cannot people be given the choice to use real identities in SL?

Anonymity and the credibility of arts in virtual spaces: "Oops, he's not really that guy"

The credibility of SL arts is compromised every time someone fakes their performance or identity. It also places SL presenters in a quandry on the few occasions where they come across an obvious forgery. They have no mandate to police SL and no incentive to get into a disagreement.

One time this season I was asked to present a performer that had a long record in Second Life. From the online samples and program he planned, I scheduled a performance, and so did one of my closest colleagues on her series. The forged performance was easy to detect even by an untrained ear. The pianos used on the various spliced tapes and live streamed bits varied from upright to grand to electronic. An awkward beginning with voice over (live streamed) was suddenly awkwardly replaced with virtuosic performance with a totally different sound colour and spatial acoustic.

I sat in silence unable to affirm this forgery with applause or comment and simply vowed to never invite the entity to the series again and to quietly alert colleagues. As a volunteer who works long hours to present value-added content in Second Life, I didn't feel my interests or the audience's interests were served by getting into some likely contentious expose of this isolated individual's shenanigans. However I couldn't help thinking that if performers used real identities customarily, this guy would not/could not have so easily misrepresented himself.

Anonymity and the safety and security of artists: "I'm crazy about that guy"

The last issue regarding anonymity relates to the behavior of some unbalanced audience members that poison the climate for performers out of resentment, obsessive fan behaviour or other personal problem.

This week we may have lost one of SL's rising stars due to cyberstalking. The artist in question is taking time out from SL and thinking about whether the many pluses outweigh the negatives and danger from a crazy who has invaded their life and privacy. What do you do when someone whose true identity you don't know begins to post things about you on the internet, follows you to your social networking pages and reveals they have contact information for your loved ones? "Creeped out" doesn't begin to express it. While the behaviours might violate LL's TOS or even be illegal if threats or blackmail is explicit, it is all new terrain, legalities aren't clear, and why should an artist bother? It is so much easier to delete the profile, exit SL, and get on with their life.

Once again the culture of anonymity -- while it might be ideal for roleplayers or those seeking to experiment with identity in SL -- is often a huge liability in the marketing of artists, the credibility of the arts in virtual reality and the safety and security of artists. Shouldn't anonymity be a choice and a privilege with some limits for the community good? I believe that those using anonymity to misrepresent themselves and/or to cause harm should lose their right to hide behind avatar names. I have wondered whether the simple device of displaying IP addresses for all avatars would dissuade people from disreputable and illegal acts. Those having no wish to be anonymous should be able to choose to use their own names, verifying identity by the same means that age verification takes place.

A Musical Roleplay, Mihangel Thespian

2010-01-31T07:50:00.000-08:00

It is one thing to present a musician in the somewhat friendly and controlled environment of Music Island. Today on Jan 31 at 11 am SLT, the intrepid harpist ventures into Gorean roleplay, his harp becoming part of a roleplay adventures.

Goreans are among the more numerous and popular of the roleplay communities in Second Life, and one of the most controversial. The science-fiction/fantasy works they are based on by John Norman have found an international following despite being widely acknowledged as being rather poorly written and repetitive. Norman, a psychologist by profession, seems to be exploring the terrain of erotic imagination thinly disguised as fantasy. Politically incorrect, illogical, and a hodge-podge of cultural stereotypes, still it resonates with many followers who feel that the modern "vanilla" view of relationships between men and women represses our animal instincts. Taken as erotic fantasy the novels are tame compared to works like Ann Rice's "Beauty" series. Taken as a model for relationships in real life (as some Goreans do), the novels deeply trouble feminists as advocating second-place status for all women.

Taking music into this community of heavily armed warriors and scantily clad women avatars will be a walk on the wild side for harpist Mihangel Thespian.

The concert has been announced with the following set-up:

SONGS OF A WANDERING HARP
A MUSICAL ROLEPLAY

The Story:

Long days ago ago the story began... a ragged wandering harpist approached Laura's Head Merchant Fuzsea in the teaming port of Schendi. HIs harp strapped on his back, the minstrel's gaunt visage told a tale of destitution and his wary glances betrayed an aura of desperation.

As Laura's merchant oversaw the loading of rare spices and goods that would fetch a good price when safely brought to port in the North, the bard grew near, keeping well to the shadows. A corner of his gilded harp peaked out from its leather wrappings on his back, a tell-tale clue that this wanderer had seen better days. The Merchant's eyes narrowed thinking, "Surely there is a tale behind this odd one".

"Are you the Master of this ship? Will you be returning to Laura?" the Minstrel called out from his place among the crates.

"Ai" Fuzsea nodded, his face an ureadable mask as he eyed his girl sternly about her task of recording the loaded goods. He had taken to personally seeing that the cargo was recorded correctly, with none of her suspicious "mistakes".

"What price passage on this ship?"

"Five gold tarns. Tis a perilous journey and looking at your scrawny bones and hands unaccustomed to a man's work, I don't expect you could lend much work to pay your passage."'

The bard pulled out a thin purse and showed the Merchant the small collection of copper and scant silver within. "This is all I have and I must get to Laura!" The Merchant laughed and gave him a shove, "Then lad you must earn more coin or sprout wings and fly. Those coins are not enough for passage on a garbage barge, but thank you for the goodly laugh. It does my digestion good" and a healthy belch followed as the Merchant turned back to his task.

The Minstrel's shoulders fell. He gathered his cloak about him and he started back to the City. Pausing he looked back and saw the Merchant with his hand on his girl's collar, pulling her to her knees and snatching up her wax tablet angrily as he fingered the whip at his belt. This could be his chance to slip on the ship undetected. With haste and stealth he doubled back and secreted himself among the casts to be loaded.

****

It was several days out of port when the Minstrel was detected. Hauled to the Captain for judgement, the Merchant scowled and told his men to throw the impudent stowaway overboard despite the man's anguished pleas for mercy. As they tied him, one of the men said, "It's long nights and hard ones on the sea. Let him play for us before we cast him into the sea"

"Why should I play for you, you filthy villains?" cried the Wanderer. "You'll be killing me anyway".

The crafty merchant pondered. A happy crew was a good investment. "I'll make you a bargain, then lad. If you please the crew tonight, you buy a day's journey and another day of life."

Begrudgingly the man drew forth the harp and began to tune its strings as word spread and the men and scant passengers came up to gather on the deck in the moonlight. Once the hands struck the strings a change came over the musician as a magical light seemed to come to his face and his eyes wandered to a land unknown. So were the listeners transported by the sounds of the gilded harp and the tales of wonder told in music. As heads began to nod in sleep, it was clear that the bard had more than won his day's reprieve.

And so the game continued nightly until the ship neared Laura. While taking on supplies and unloading goods onto the river boats for transport to Laura on the final leg of the journey, the Merchant sent word ahead. He was bringing a captive to the City of Laura for the entertainment of the Citizens. If he pleased them, his freedom and passage was paid and his crime was forgiven. If not the Merchant would keep him as a captive on the ship for the crew's pleasure.

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

Join us for a Musical Roleplay!

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.

He is one of the most accomplished classical musicians performing in Second Life and is obviously a lot of fun and a very good sport.

(This concert is brought to Laura through collaboration with the MUSIC ISLAND CONCERT SERIES, http://musicisland.ning.com.)

Jan.24 Izabela Jaworower, Music Island Concerts

2010-01-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

(ALL TIMES SLT--PACIFIC STANDARD TIME)

SUNDAY JANUARY 24 @ 1:30 PM
Izabela Jaworower, violin
Music Island
a program of favorite violin sonatas

Help Ensemble X Choose a Name this Saturday

2010-01-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

Thom Dowd's Early Music Group presents a live concert of recorder music featuring Group X.

Saturday, January 23
12:00 noon SLT
Renaissance Island (Music Room)

For more information about the program, consult Thom Dowd's blog .

What is "Group X?" Merely a newly formed quartet of the most talented group of young recorder performers you will find anywhere. During their concert they will ask the audience to help them find a new name for their group. Come prepared with suggestions.

Students prepare for Performance Exams with Second Life Concert. SUN JAN 17 @ 12 pm SLT

2010-01-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Thom Coard of the Fribourg Conservatory in Switzerland manages to show off the skills of his recorder students to an international audience on a regular basis and all for the price of a good web cam and some broadcasting software.

I know that the students and student families appreciate the extraordinary opportunity he is providing. It is also a heartwarming experience for those of us in the Second Life community who love music. The pure sound of the recorder ensembles is a joy on a bright sea side day in virtual reality. The excitement and joy of the students is infectious and uplifting.

If you are interested in providing this kind of activity for your students or amateur ensemble, the great people at tech soup have provided a simple to follow set of instructions for using the Quicktime broadcaster into Second Life. You'll also need a scripted SL screen. (many free copies available) and the land permissions to put a media stream into your land. The texture used on your screen must be copied into the media settings on the land as that texture will be replaced by the contents of the video URL.

New Music Series launched Thurs. Jan.14 @ 6 pm

2010-01-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

AldoManutio Abruzzo has been a guest artist, a collaborator and a friend over the past year at Music Island and I am so excited that he is going to now be offering a new series of discussion and performance of new music over the next year. The New Moon series is planned to feature the best in SL new music, programmed and hosted by Aldo on the nights of the New Moon.

The Angel's Harp Dec 24 @ 9 am SLT

2009-12-24T06:02:00.000-08:00

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.

Schumann Duo Dec 23 @ 2pm SLT

2009-12-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-12-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

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.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 17 @ 12 PM The Last Storm

2009-12-16T07:50:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-13T01:50:00.000-08:00

(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

Cindy Esksol, December 12 @ 12 pm Second Life Time

2009-12-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

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.

Holiday Line-up at Music Island

2009-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-12-03T08:50:00.000-08:00

Fingersatz Barbosa

1 pm SLT

Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

From Bach to Django Rheinhardt and samplings from the centuries between performed by a modern virtuoso of the frets.

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

2009-11-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-11-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-23T06:30:00.001-08:00

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.

Mihangel Thespian Nov. 22 @ 12 pm SLT

2009-11-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

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!

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.

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

2009-11-15T20:18:00.001-08:00

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

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

2009-11-14T01:35:00.001-08:00

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

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

2009-11-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-11-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

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

Anek Fuchs, Oct. 31 @ 12 pm

2009-10-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-10-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

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.

Open Rehearsals: More Successful in Virtual Worlds?

2009-10-25T02:48:00.000-07:00

"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.

CoMa Ensemble from UK on Sun Oct 25 10 am SLT

2009-10-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

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

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

2009-10-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

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/

AldoManutio Abruzzo, Fall Reflections, November 17

2009-10-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-10-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2009-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Music Island is showcased as part of Innovation InfoIsland Grand Opening

2009-09-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

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

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

2009-09-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

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.

AldoManutio Abruzzo Sept 22-- Equinox Concert

2009-09-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

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

Zachh Cale Sept 19 in his first performance at Music Island

2009-09-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T06:06:00.001-07:00

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.

Professor Blackmountain, September 17

2009-09-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

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.

What's next?

2009-09-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

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

Astronimus Randt, violin, flute September 12

2009-09-08T06:19:00.001-07:00

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.

Building it is not enough to make them come

2009-08-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Two conversations this week with Second Life venue owners at the opposite ends of their involvement in organizing concerts in SL made me think about the expectations and hopes that we bring to our event organizing in Second Life.

CONVERSATION ONE: The retiring veteran:
A few weeks ago a musician who performs regularly on Music Island as well as elsewhere around Second Life, mentioned to me that he had been sorry to hear that one of the pioneer music series organizers was thinking about packing up and giving up on her activities. He wondered if there were not some way that a collaboration might be found to keep her involved in some way.

Finding opportunity to to speak to the lady in question, I found her very sad and frustrated. I learned that she had poured hours and dollars into a full sim with several concert venues, maintained an audio stream and had rigged up a video server in her home, all to support musical activity in SL. After two years, she felt unsupported, unappreciated and left on the sidelines by others who came into SL and preferred to "do their own thing" rather than collaborate with her and her venue. She's stopped hosting concerts and her sim stands empty and for sale. It is a sad ending to good intentions, hard work and an end to some fun times for people in Second Life. Were her expectations for support and recognition unreasonable? I don't know. I don't think that anyone was under any obligation to financially support a space in SL that was purchased by this individual speculatively, on her own dime. I DO think that the contributions of human effort to the common good in SL needs more recognition and support though.

As one of the people who was running a concert series I felt some of the hostility and hurt feelings this arts lover was feeling. Fairly often new people come into SL and make pronouncements like "the first time X has happened in virtual reality" and it is something that happened on my series a year ago. I find it hard not to go ballistic on those days. I can also remember how furious I was in the early days of the SL Showcase when I saw that the only featured "classical" music venue was not mine or one of my esteemed colleagues that offer quality programming. Instead Showcase was featuring one of the many vanity concert halls, the venue in question at that point in time hadn't hosted a single live classical concert. There was no connection with the vibrant community of musical practice in Second Life. I thought "why didn't Linden Labs do some fact-checkingl?"

Like other places on the net, there is a difficulty sometimes in Second Life with the recognition of "authority" and there is very little maintenance of the history of projects within the community. I find that there is a tendency throughout Second Life to put the focus on the grid, the sims, the buildings of Second Life and pay much less attention to the things that bring the grid to life: people, events, communities, arts, education, networking.

CONVERSATION TWO: The newbie music venue owner:
A new sim owner sent me an IM and asked me to come and see her new concert hall and said that she hoped that I would bring performances to her sim. When I said that I really didn't have time to organize more concerts, her response was one I had heard before, .... "But it's beautiful and you can use it for FREE!!!

"Yes", I said, "but who will pay me for the hours of time it will take for me to book musicians, create notices, signs and promote the events? Why should I bring people to your sim? What can you do for me? Can you pay me? Sponsor artists? Connect me to people who can offer me resources I don't have?

I actually was a lot less blunt than that but the fact is that building a space for events in Second Life is a very small part of making an event or concert series work. Of course an attractive and functional space is a starting point but there are empty spaces all over Second Life. Only with the animating energy of human work do these places come alive and how is that work encouraged and rewarded. For each event that actually happens in SL, there are many human contacts, information exchanges, discussions and promotional notices involved. Things don't just "happen".

SUMMARY: In SL like RL, work is either rewarded by appreciation, recognition, fun, and/or with financial rewards. When event organizers feel unappreciated and un-recognized, there's no fun anymore and it is costing them money to continue of course they are going to pack it in and find some other arena to contribute their energies. And without events, SL will be a dull, dead world.

What can Linden Labs and the Second Life community do to assure the continuance of worthwhile events within virtual reality?

Young Zeid, violin August 29 @ September 3

2009-08-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 29 @ 12 pm SLT
Thursday Sept. 3 @ 4:30 pm SLT

PROGRAM:
Scott Joplin (1868-1917) " Entertainer"
Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) " Sonatina in E minor "
Vittorio Monti (1868-1922) " Czardas"
L.Van Beethoven (1770-1827) " Romance in F Major "
W.A.Mozart (1756-1791) Concerto No.4 in D Major

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 <>.

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.

Aldo to perform on Virtually Speaking series

2009-08-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY AUGUST 20 @ 5 PM SLT
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtually%20Speaking/156/152/26

Music Island concerts has entered a new partnership with the public affairs program "Virtually Speaking" to present musical programming to accompany selected public affairs events. Today AldoManutio Abruzzo provides a musical introduction to an appearance by Mike Connery, co-founder of "Music for America"

Interview @ 6 pm SLT

Michael Connery is the author of Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Progressive Majority, a book about the role of the Millennial Generation in progressive politics. In addition to blogging at Future Majority, Michael occasionally contributes to MyDD, TechPresident and Huffington Post's "Off the Bus" blog.

A political junkie and accidental activist who became involved in politics during the early days of the Dean campaign, Mike is a founder of Music for America, and served as its Communications Director and Web Editor from February 2003 until December of 2004.

Michael is a Board Member of the Young Voter PAC, an At-Large member of the DNC Youth Council, and sits on the Advisory Board of HeadCount, a non profit that registers young voters at live music events. In 2003, he was the cofounder of a similar organization called Music for America, and served as its Communications Director and Web Editor in 2003 and 2004. In 2008, he was a National New Media Fellow with the Center for Independent Media.

Michael has a BA in English and Philosophy from Boston College and an MA in English from Indiana University in Bloomington.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtually%20Speaking/156/152/26

Winters Kanto Aug 22 @ 12 pm SLT

2009-08-20T10:28:00.001-07:00

The popular Uruguayan pianist is well-known in SL. On this concert we see the other side of Winters. He will play classical for a change.... but he might just might suprise us with a couple of his signature tangos & bossa novas.

This popular entertainer has 15 years of experience on tour in South America.

To teleport to Music Island click here. You must have a Second Life (free) account to attend concerts in Second Life. If you do not have an account and want to explore, sign up here.

Duo Appassionato, Anniversary Concert

2009-08-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

Saturday, August 15, 1 :00pm SLT
Simulcast to Second Life Community Conference, San Francisco

Summer Anniversary Concert Program:

1). Mazas.....................Duo for 2 violins in G MAjor (3 mvts.)
2). Wieniawskii......Capriccios op 18 for 2 violins No. 2 3, 4.
3). Vivaldi......................."Summer' from THE FOUR SEASONS
4). Bach ...................................."DOUBLE" concerto ( 3 mvts)
5). Handel/Halvorsen ...........Passcaglia for Violin and Viola

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

DUO APPASSIONATO possesses exceptional virtuoso ability and musical harmony rarely found in two instrmentalists of the same genre performing together. Both active solo performers of unsurpassed spirit and flair, the duo has a refreshing stage presence and often explores a repertoire that is rarely performed because of its unusually demanding nature. They project " virtuosic devilry and imagination..." and their playing is " stunning and incredibly well matched". Their presence is a highlight to any recital or concert stage.

Violinist Izabela Spiewak began her international music career at the age of 5, and was awarded a scholarship to a music school for gifted young artists at the age of 8. She is performed chamber music concerts, recorded albums with musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Eduardo Mata, Placido Domingo and Yehudi Menuhin.

Xi Yang 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. 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 . 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.

Perseids Festival off to rousing start August 7 to 14

2009-08-07T14:26:00.001-07:00

Friday August 7 to Friday August 14
Catch a Falling Star A storytelling treasure hunt

Join us for the opening of a new virtual storytelling experience. Find the stories in the falling stars hidden around Sea Turtle Island. The author will be with us for the grand opening. Start point is at Sea Turtle Lodge.

Mary Overton is the RL writer behind SL avatar Meryl Villota. Overton experiments with text and story online at https://maryoverton.wikispaces.com . She is the author of a story collection, THE WINE OF ASTONISHMENT (La Questa Press), and her speculative fiction appears in anthologies and journals. A list of available published work can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Fiction-nbsp-by-nbsp-Mary-nbsp-Overton/lm/R1XO8TF0U8GX6L/ref=cm_srch_res_rpli_alt_1/103-1439095-1029430 .

Sunday August 9 to Friday August 14
From Falling Star to Meteor
Information Exhibit created by Ourania Fizgig
Music Island/Sea Turtle Island

Tuesday August 11 @ 4 pm
The Year of Astronomy Talk & Tour of the Year of Astronomy Simulation
The Lodge @ Sea Turtle Island
2009 is the International Year of Astronomy and Music Island is hosting a mini-festival in honour of the falling stars of summer, the annual Perseids Meteor Shower. Come prepared to listen for a few minutes and then head out on a tour of the IYOA2009 site

WEDNESDAY August 12 @ 4pm Drumming Circle & Story Telling
Share stories of falling stars. Bring your legends and family stories about falling stars to an informal campfire and drumming circle.

WEDNESDAY August 12 @ 6:30 pm SLT AldoManutio Abruzzo, composer/musician WITH Desdemona Enfield & Douglas Story Artists RISE AND FALL OF THE PERSEIDS
a special concert on the occasion of the best light show of the summer, the Perseid Meteor shower.