Tip Corbett: Video Excerpt from July 30 concert

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

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

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

IM Kate Miranda inworld to join the Music Island group.

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

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


Biography

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

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

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

Zachh Cale Sept 19 in his first performance at Music Island

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

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

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

World Premiere of "Storm in a Teacup"

A total of 36 avatars sat around the rim of virtual teacups to whirl through a multimedia art display for a 30 minute trip that ended in a final movement on the ground. The work was composed by Christine Montgomery and accompanied photography by R0bin Helsinki.

An informative talk was given by the composer and photographer following the performance.

People will be able to experience the multimedia art project at half hour intervals, on the half hour until Friday June 19. You need a Second Life free account to attend events in the virtual world.

A Jun 13-14 weekend with the neo-romantics

Saturday June 13 Prowess Rayna, piano@ 11:00 am
Saturday June 13 Tip Corbett, composer presentation @ 12:30 pm
Sunday June 14 Vlad Dysel, composer presentation @ 12:00 pm

Three great events by composer/musicians within Second Life, all linked by a neo-romantic style that combines the romantic with the modern. This is new music with a lush tonal core that is approachable and beautiful.


Prowess Rayna
Sat. June 13 @ 11:00 am
As a Piano & Synthesizer composer, Prowess incorporates extraordinary, fluid technique with her natural genius for melody and harmony to create not only balanced compositions but reflect nature in its micro- and macro-cosmic form. Prowess gave her first public performance in SL at Music Island more than a year ago and now is saying goodbye to us for the summer as she tours Europe--a tour made possible in part through contacts that she made in Second Life. Her live piano performance shared with us in SL will set the mood for our summer on Music Island and in Second Life.


Tip Corbett
Sat. June 13 @ 12:30 pm
Tip will share his recent work for feedback and discussion via live piano demonstration and recordings of workshops and performance of his work.

Tip studied composition at UC Santa Barbara, where he received a B.A. in music, and at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he studied with Ned Rorem. He is a member of the American Composers' Alliance (elected Sept. 2000), have received commissions from the MTNA, Arcady Chamber Orchestra, etc., and have had works played at numerous festivals (American Composers' Alliance, SCI, SEAMUS, Bowdoin College Gamper Festival, Ought-One Festival). In August of 2001, the Arcady Chamber Orchestra performed a commissioned orchestral work entitled Arkadia. Since 2004 he has been a regular participant in the ACA Festival of New American Music.

Hi works have been performed by The Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Pi, Bruce Fithian, John MacDonald, Blair McMillen, Jeff Milarsky, Nancy Ogle, Arkadi Steinlucht, the BU Symphony, and others. He is currently Vice-President of the Maine Composers' Forum, and has had a major hand in organizing concerts since the Forum's inception in 1990.

His MAX computer music algorithm, "21st Century Baroque", has appeared on the MAX list CD, an internationally distributed CD-ROM.

Vlad Dysel
Sun June 14 @ 12:00 pm
Vlad Dysel is a young university composition student that is a member of the Via Media (Middle Way) school of composers. Neo-romantic listenable music that sets the modern in the context of the Masters. Vlad will share some of his works in progress and talk about his process, inspirations and the works themselves, inviting audience feedback and conversation.