Nice short poem on Beethoven

by | Jan 14, 2014 | Uncategorized

Here is John Hall Wheelock’s poem Beethoven. It wonderfully encapsulates the image of Beethoven created by Hoffmann and the early Romantics. Curiously, it was written somewhere between 1912 and 1921 as near as I can tell. It’s a powerful way to tell...

Shabbat Shirah #2: all the things you are

by | Jan 13, 2014 | Uncategorized

It’s definitely not my best solo work, but Justin sounds fabulous, and the interaction and fun going on is worth a post. I’ve never played jazz with a cellist before, but I plan on doing it some more.There is a fabulous floor squeak right at the beginning...

Shabbat Shirah and the new cello piece

by | Jan 13, 2014 | Uncategorized

Today I had the chance to play a program for Shabbat Shirah. Shabbat Shirah happens when the Torah passage that refers to the song of Moses and Miriam after the crossing of the Red Sea is read in Synagogue. The Lincoln Jewish community has established a tradition of...

Obamacare and Walmart

by | Jan 7, 2014 | Uncategorized

I have a friend that works at the local Walmart. He has been working about 30 hours a week for what amounts to wages that are below the poverty line. He went on vacation and was getting ready to go back. He got a call from his supervisor – just before he was...

What music theory means

by | Dec 23, 2013 | Uncategorized

C minor woke up a little groggy. He didn’t really want to begin his day, but after lying in bed for awhile, he finally decided that it had to start somewhere. He awoke late with a bit of a hangover, and a G major chord was coming in measure five whether he was...

Milan Kundera on music

by | Nov 30, 2013 | Uncategorized

This bit is quite thought provoking.From The Book of Laughter and Forgetting:”If it is true that the history of music has come to an end, what is left of music? Silence?Not in the least. There is more and more of it, many times more than in its most glorious...

Milan Kundera: On tonality and Schoenberg

by | Nov 30, 2013 | Uncategorized

Having long been aware of Thomas Mann’s famous description of Schoenberg’s writing – which was apparently taken largely from Adorno – I found Kundera’s writing about modern music exciting and insightful. From The Book of Laughter and...

So many good things

by | Nov 19, 2013 | Uncategorized

This is just a quick update for friends, and so that I can keep track of all the stuff that’s happening myself. I’m a bit overwhelmed. I have so much gratitude for all of my musical friends who have believed in me and programmed my music. You guys are...

Mondegreen Debut – first video

by | Nov 14, 2013 | Uncategorized

Jonah Sirota and I had our first public performance as Mondegreen on Sunday. We opened for the lovely people in the Portland Cello Project at a new club in town called Vega. It’s a nice space to play. I’m happy to report that the show was sold out, and we...