New York Women Composers Exciting 2016 Music Album Releases - Classical Music Originally Published by the New York Women Composers: http://www.newyorkwomencomposers.org/ An Exciting Spectrum of 2016  CD Releases from solo piano to orchestral from choral to Native American flute to solo guitar featuring music by members of the New York Women Composers Lots of ways to show your support for the music and composers of contemporary music ! Purchase a CD  – show support for the Record Labels that are producing and distributing the music of Contemporary Composers; Contribute – to an Individual Composer  or an Artist ’s Fundraising Campaign Contribute – to a Music Organization , for example, the  NYWC Marilyn Bliss Mystic Voices Soaring Albany Records Jennifer Castellano Images CD Baby Chen Yi Chinese Rap Amazon Rebekah Driscoll From Liberty and Fragrant Harbors iTunes Katherine Hoover Requiem for the I...

Top 25 Ways You Know You are a Contemporary Composer Formidable Composer  Eric Whitacre 1. You try to tell the time signature of your blinker as you drive 2. You wonder if Mozart would have Tweeted 3. You ruin movies by complaining about how John Williams steals from Wagner and  Stravinsky 4. Your significant other has been relegated to long diatribes about the merits of  classical music  over pop music 5. Said significant other has also been dragged to numerous classical music concerts, including at least one that involved a laptop or singing robot 6. You can’t resist saying “I’ll be Bach” when you leave the party 7. You have an appreciation for Schoenberg and Cage that your music ed friends do not understand 8. You ever conducted the radio with a pencil in your car, while driving and drinking a cup of coffee 9. Your children grow up listening to Mozart…AND Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn 10. You are used to the semi-surprised look of sh...

60X60 Dance Nov 13 2009 Winter Garden (Photo credit: Larry L for school ) What do you call sixty one minute works presented in sixty minutes? Some may call it chaos, others may say its semi-schizophrenic, but until you have experienced the eclectic sonic experience known as 60x60 , you are missing out. The brainchild of composer Robert Voisey, Director of Vox Novus and an established composer himself, the 60x60 mixes give audiences the unique opportunity to explore new music in an eclectic fast-paced manner perfect for the 21st century audience.  Each 60x60 mix is unique, and many performance are accompanied by contemporary dance or video. Several video artists have contributed their skills to the 60x60 video mixes, including Patrick Liddell and Zlatco Cosic. Check out the 60x60 Video Mixes. Robert Voisey (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) 60x60 mixes are eclectic musical microcosms of the world, with many regional mixes, international mixes, and the Athena Mixes, which fe...

Graphic Notation The New Music Resource Composer Challenge This composer challenge is meant to expand your ideas about music and test your creativity. The time limit forces to you to simply create without thinking about editing or what you can or cannot logically do.  After you have completed your sketches, reevaluate them .  Think about how these ideas may work musically, how they can be improved upon, and how you would accomplish them. Think about how these ideas may change depending on scenario and location. How can you make your idea original?  Share your sketches and thoughts on the challenge in the comments below. NMR would love to hear about your ideas!  The NMR Composer Challenge You have 10 minutes to sketch 5 musical ideas for the following scenarios: 1. You have a trio (percussion, electronic keyboard, and poet) that will perform for 30 minutes live online. You have one rehearsal. 2. You are performing a solo work using your primary instrumen...

As an ongoing project, I have been trying to write articles on women involved in music and the arts. Check out these talented musicians and artists. Women and Music: 7 Mind-Blowing Women Artists From rock to the meditative, from electronic to classical, these women have become music legends. Check out these albums for some truly mind-blowing sound experiences! View more » Portrait of a Miami Artist: Angel Clyman South Florida artist Angel Clyman explores duality of earth and environment in exquisite sculptures and paintings reminiscent of a more spiritual time. View more » Portraits of Women and Music: Electronic Composer Pauline Oliveros Electroacoustic composer Pauline Oliveros has left an indelible mark on contemporary music, from her early experimentation with tape delay to the Expanded Instrument System. View more »

Having recently completed two works for percussion ensemble, video, and tape, I am now embarking on the quest to create a contemporary opera. Several definitions of opera can be found: "Opera is a drama set to mus. to be sung with instr. acc. by singers usually in costume." - Classical Archive . "Opera is a story told through song." - Boston Lyric Opera "Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and instead of bleeding, sings." - Ed Gardner (funny music quotes) Traditionally, opera follows a libretto (text -a linear storyline), has extravagant costumes and scenery, and the music plays an integral part of the entire drama unfolding. The music can consist of arias, trios, duets, entire choruses, etc. Some famous traditional opera composers include Puccini, Bizet, Britten, Wagner, Verdi, Monteverdi...the list goes on (You can read more HERE .) George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: However, with the advent of the late 20th century, the definition of opera ...

Theresa Sauer Tisano from the American Musicological Society is currently compiling innovative scores for a contemporary graphic notation anthology called "Notations 21". The website and submission guidelines can be found at: http://www.notations21.net/composersinfo.html Mission for Notations 21 1. To globally promote innovation and creativity in music composition. 2. To create a public awareness and interest in the works of contemporary composers. 3. To explore the natural and necessary relationship between music and the visual arts. 4. To celebrate the composers who take risks, ask questions, and further the progress of the arts.