| Keith,
I'm focused on new musical experiences, feeling strongly that repetition kills creativity over time, and I'm enjoying my career today as much as I enjoyed being a student myself.
Teaching is my salvation and new music is my pleasure. I learned many years ago that each student brings his/her own set of circumstances to the table and thus unlocking even a simple Clarke study or Bordogni vocalise is
a new and musically vital experience for me. Even moreso if it's a Mahler Symphony or Sequenza X. I'm lucky to be in contact with fabulous and interesting students at CalArts, McGill, and Chosen Vale. My Dartmouth (I teach there because I happen to live there) kids are brilliant in their own way. Most scored 800 on the verbal parts of their SATs.
Realizing new scores, particularly in collaboration with composers, is a vital experience. Improvisation is as well. I had a tremendous experience creating a 80 minute improv with prepared piano and mallet percussion in a concert 2 weeks ago in California. Great fun.
Playing Baroque music is a distant memory for me. Teaching and encouraging new voices in it remains very, very new.
Does this make sense to anyone but me?
Best,
EC |