MMN in Concert! A Book of Hours, 3/17/13 in Pittsburgh

Book of Hours Art

In the midst of jetting around having musical adventures, I do occasionally find time to write music and practice the piano! My most recent work is a set of piano pieces inspired by the writings of Thomas Merton. I premiered … Continue reading

Hanging with ETHEL!

ETHEL: Present Beauty Monday, March 5, 2012, 7:30 p.m. David Friend Recital Hall Berklee College of Music Classical music has a bit of a PR problem. It has a bad reputation as being boring, stuffy, and overly serious. There’s even … Continue reading

Where Critics Fail to Tread: A Conversation with Ben Leeds Carson

Imagine, if you will, that you are a composer. Not a historical composer, mind you — we’re not talking powdered wigs and candelabras here — but a composer living and writing music in the world today. You write a piece … Continue reading

Permanently Beginning: A Conversation With Sir Harrison Birtwistle

On Thursday morning, I attended an open rehearsal of the Boston Symphony, in preparation for this weekend’s performances, which include the world première of a Violin Concerto by English composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle. I was fortunate enough to have the … Continue reading

How You Know You’re A Real Composer!

Existential Pilot Saturday, March 5, 8pm Deagan Music 1770 W Berteau, Chicago IL Free; donations accepted So there I was minding my own business, working on a blog post (tune in again tomorrow!), when a Google Alert popped up in … Continue reading

Steven Mackey: Composer, Guitarist, Musical Omnivore!

Steven Mackey is a busy guy. In addition to playing the guitar and teaching music at Princeton, he composes some very large scale musical works, like Dreamhouse, his piece for singer/actor, vocal quartet, electric guitar quartet, and orchestra, which was … Continue reading

RIP Milton Babbitt

I just got the word that composer Milton Babbitt passed away this morning, at the age of 94. Uncle Milty, as we modern composer types affectionately called him, was a major figure in 20th-century music. He is known for his … Continue reading

Looking to Tap into the Zeitgeist? It's in St. Paul, Tonight!

Zeitgeist New Music presents Night Singing: Music by Andrew Rindfleisch October 7, 8, 9, 7:30 p.m. Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul MN $10 A week ago, I was wishing for a couch, but this week … Continue reading

The 30 Days Project, Live in Concert!

I have exciting news, Music Nerds! If you’ve been following the adventures of Miss Music Nerd for any length of time, you’ve probably heard mention of The 30 Days Project. Back in the summer of 2007, I wrote a short … Continue reading

What Miss Music Nerd Did On Her Summer Vacation!

Greetings and Happy Autumn, Music Nerds! It’s been an exciting summer here at Music Nerd Central! Before I get into the details, I have a few important news items to share. First off, if you live in the Boston area … Continue reading