Take care and value music.
I'm happy to have finally made a recording of my arrangement for 12 horns of "Jubilate Deo" by Michael Praetorius. I've been wanting a recording of this for a very long time, and tried to get one going in the last couple weeks, but either it didn't sound good or I had more important projects come up. So I buckled down for the last couple of days and ended making a great recording of it...and here it is. This was definitely not easy, and I learned as I recorded it that a relatively advanced group of 12 players is required to really do this piece justice. It was something I arranged back when I was young and dumb, i.e. a freshmen in college. It was a period of time in my life where practicality of performance and ability level (in the sense of marketability) when I composed or arranged something didn't really exist. In other words, I wrote music for horn to be pretty challenging, especially on the low end of the horn. But, as you can hear in the recording, it's not impossible. So you know what to do if you like it and have an ensemble that can play this...*wink* *wink*.
Take care and value music.
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So if you haven't heard yet, I'm giving a solo recital this year as well, just like last year. What's different about this year is that I'm performing the exact same program with the exact same pianist twice in one weekend. I guess I needn't explain anymore; I can show you this poster: There. How's that? I love it.
I'm so fortunate to have the ability to have a solo recital each year. I'm lucky to have found and made contact with Sheila Weidendorf, who is already so active as a musician and a true "savvy musician". I aspire to create my own opportunities as a free-lancer also, so this is just another step in the process. What is a "savvy musician", you ask? Oh, well it's a free-lance musician who essentially makes their own work happen. It's one who creates opportunities for themselves that result in income. It's so easy for free-lancers to expect work to come to them, meaning that they wait for auditions to come up and then take them. Or they wait for any other kind of job posting. Usually, those kind of musicians end up working at a grocery store or some other retail nightmare. I was once one of those myself. I mean, in my defense I was in school full time and complete supporting my family, so I didn't have the wiggle room I needed to start out as a free-lance musician. I got lucky with the fact my wife got a job, and with the fact that work came so quickly. But anyways, a "savvy musician" realizes that work doesn't always come to them, particularly if they want to make a living off of it. Instead, they need to create opportunities. Having a solo recital and selling tickets for entry is one thing I've done. I've also started the Harbor Brass Choir, and soon the Penn Cove Brass. I'm organizing a music camp this summer for brass players. I visit schools to recruit for all this stuff, plus lessons. All of this stuff has resulted in income for me, and a decent amount at that. So, musicians, be savvy. It's the only way to do what you love and not what you hate. Take care and value music. You may have noticed that I haven't blogged in two weeks...or maybe you haven't. Whatever. Anyways, I was on vacation most of last week because it was Spring Break for us, and we took a nice little trip to the town of Oceanside, Oregon. It was good to get away for a while.
But now I'm back at it, in full swing, and I'm realizing that there are a lot of important things coming up in the next few months: Whidbey Island Horn Club: Our Spring Concert date is currently set for June 17th at 6:30pm at Click Music, but soon the date will be changed to June 24th. Anyone local should come to this concert - it's going to be great. More info at whidbeyislandhornclub.weebly.com. Solo Recitals: I'm very excited to put on a solo recital again this June, just like I did last June. This year I'm playing the same program twice within a weekend: A Saturday afternoon concert on the south end of Whidbey Island and a Sunday afternoon on the North end. The title of the concert will be "Like Father, Like Son" and will feature music of Franz & Richard Strauss. Whidbey Island Brass Camp: If I'm going to get this thing rolling, I've got a lot of work to do. I've already got a location picked out and starting to fill out the personnel. And I think I've got the cost figured out. I just need to put together a schedule and a brochure, and start advertising it now. Saratoga Orchestra: Not only do I need to prepare to play principal (I think) on Tchaik 5 and Dvorak 9 in August, but I also have my concert to write and perform in October. I need to get started on that concert really soon. This is probably my biggest project on the list; it will take the most time...and may have the greatest impact. Recording projects: I always have recording projects to do, but the pressure is on now for two reasons: 1.), I won't have as much of an opportunity to record in the summer, and 2.) we're expecting a baby in August, and thus when the school year starts (and a while thereafter) I won't be able to record much. So I gotta get what I want done now. My horn ensemble loves when I record tunes that we're working on, and I know that my brass ensemble benefits from it, too. Moreover, I have several compositions and arrangements for horn ensemble that I want to record and post on this site. Penn Cove Brass Ensemble: My high school version of the Harbor Brass will start this summer, and I need to get announcements and a schedule made, as well as search for repertoire. So as you can see, there's a ton of long-term projects at hand, and I need to spend every moment of my non-used time working on them. Ugh, my job is crazy...and I love it to death. Take care and value music. |
Sean A. BrownAn up-to-date overview of my music career Archives
February 2024
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