| Dear Ed and all TM readers,
Thank you for bringing up this topic. I think this is often overlooked and understressed in our music schools, colleges and conservatories today.
An opening point to bring to everyone's attention: Chris Gekker recently released a recording with repertoire entirely by composers whom he met as an undergraduate student at Eastman (David Snow and Eric Ewazen). His artist/composer relationship has spanned more than 20 years now and rarely has a year gone by when he didn't perform works by these two composers.
As an undergraduate student I frequently performed works by my colleagues (both from my school and from other schools) and collaborated on a piece specifically written for me. I have just completed my first month as a graduate student at a new school and already have 2 collaborative projects planned for the upcoming months and am starting rehearsal on a student-composed brass quintet tomorrow morning.
To restate a point Ed made in his initial post; how cool is it to have a piece taylor-made to your unique talent? AMAZING opportunity to say the least. Also, please share your most enjoyable and successful collaborative efforts with us on this forum and others like it. Don't keep these new gems to yourself! We need new and exciting solo and chamber works by TODAY'S composers.
Sorry for the dissertation,
Mike Blutman |