The Dozier Centre Grand Opening Saturday

This Saturday, the Dozier Centre in Kennesaw, GA will have its grand opening. It starts at 10am with an Instrument Petting Zoo and ends around 7pm. There will be performances by the Midtown Brass Quintet, Atlanta Percussion Trio, Joyner Brothers String Trio, Georgia Brass Band, and The Phoenix Quartet. You can find out more about the center here: http://www.doziercentre.com

Electronic Call for Works - Update!

I've received enough material now for a concert! The works that have come in are very cool. It will be exciting to present them together publicly. We have a vibrant community of composers here with voice, and I hope that when you hear them you will be as excited as I am about the new music that is being created all around us.

Now I need to secure a venue and date and pull together the resources for the show. I'll be in discussions with some folks to see how best to present the material and gather the widest audience. I want to turn this into an event with big attendance (not just where 5 people show up!) To that end, I'm open to ideas and suggestions and active participation by all of you, so if you have anything to say about it, please let me know. Post your comments here to the blog or contact me through my website (follow my profile link.)

One thing I'd like to do in conjunction with the concert is create a podcast of the concert submissions. This would open our music not only to the local community, but to the world. In order to do this, I will need permission from the composers to podcast the music, so I'll be in touch with all those who have submitted for their approval.

Once I have more details, of course I will post all here on the blog.

Thanks to all those who have submitted!

If you didn't get a chance to submit, please feel free to still send your music, as I plan to do more concerts and I will probably find a place for it in the future.

It's great getting to know our community.

Darren

Basics of Media Relations

Ever wondered how to best communcate your breaking news story to the media? One resource is a basic "Media Access Guide" presented online by the Seattle Times and the Seattle Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. It's a good general overview for those who need an introduction to dealing with public media. Caveat: It is general. Always get to know your local publications and broadcasters and their own individual character, and their journalists who cover your kind of story. And don't ignore emerging "new media" and how those innovations can affect your PR methods. The Seattle Times/AAJA Media Access Guide can be found in PDF format here (20 pages):
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/contactus/media/media_access_guide.pdf

Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

I think its pretty fitting to post this event, given the Atlanta Score Study Group is going to address the topic of music and dance collaboration at tonight's meeting. Tommorrow night there should be a good demonstration of such a collaboration. UGA alumni and Atlanta resident, Colin Bragg, has composed music for tommorrow night's event.

Friday August 4th 8pm
‘Finding Clear’ by Crossover Movement Arts at Eyedrum Gallery www.eyedrum.org

admission $8
The second phase of ‘Finding Clear’, a collaborative
work in progress by Crossover Movement Arts.
Performing creators include : Aaron Bean, Kat Barrett,
Blake Dalton, Hannah Leatherbury, Amy Parker, Erin
Weller, with music by Colin Bragg, Katie Bragg, Blake
Helton, visual art by Kevin Hoth and additional
choreographic inspiration by Hila Kerekesh.
Dance, theatre and martial arts, live music, digital
video, and collaboratively created text fuel this next
phase of Finding Clear.

To learn more about the artists involved, click on the links below:

www.crossovermovementarts.com
www.myspace.com/colinbragg
www.orangemancreative.com

Atlanta Ballet

I received this email (along with the rest of the members in the Atlanta Federation of Musicians) from John Head about the Atlanta Ballet doing away with the orchestra. It makes me shutter personally to think about them using canned music:

August 1, 2006
To- All Local Members:
From- John Head
Re: Atlanta Ballet

I'm sure you have all read about the decision by the Atlanta Ballet
management to eliminate the orchestra from all future productions.
We are pursuing all courses of action to restore negotiations to get
this decision reversed.

It is occasions like this that our unity as an organization comes
into play. I encourage all of you to write or email the Ballet
management protesting this action. I also ask that you encourage
friends and family to also write letters. This effort on your part
can create an outpouring of public support for the orchestra, and
will go a long way toward convincing the Ballet management that this
action will ultimately be extremely detrimental to the future of
this organization.

Emails should be sent to: JMcFall@atlantaballet.com
Letters should be mailed to:

Mr. John McFall, Director
Atlanta Ballet
1400 West Peachtree St., N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30309

Your cooperation with this project will be greatly appreciated.

Fraternally yours,
John Head, President
Local 148-462

Call for Works - Server Problem

Re: the Electronic Call for Works: I recently ran into a server problem. Any submissions that came in within the last two to three weeks have been unfortunately lost. If you submitted during that time and have not heard from me, please resubmit. I know that at least one submission was lost. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm changing the way emails come to me on this account so that this doesn't happen again. There is still a lot of room on the program, so if you resubmit, your piece will very likely get played.

submissions@curiomusic.com

Also, for those who have not yet submitted or are hearing about this call for the first time, please send in your works. Here are the details:

http://atlantacomposers.blogspot.com/2006/06/open-call-for-works-electronic.html

Thanks.

Darren

From July's Atlanta Score Study Group Meeting

This evening, I attended the July meeting of the Atlanta Score Study Group (ASSG) at Crawford Communications, hosted by Eddie Horst and Jonathan Cazenave.

Howard Davis was the guest speaker and presented an overview of his orchestral piece, Pilgrims Progress. Howard explained the structural design of his piece, the main motives and how they were conceived and orchestrated. In fact, the main topic was Orchestration with Howard's work as the centerpiece. It was a fantastic overview, well presented by Howard with score excerpts and a DVD presentation that spotlighted each of the sections and motives as we heard the piece.

There were ten composers in attendance, a good turnout! I met many new people and others that I only knew from cyberspace. It was great that we were all together in a room where we could share ideas, information, tips, questions and answers (and bad jokes ;). This is a great group of people, and I learned from all in attendance.

Special thanks to Howard Davis, Eddie Horst, and Jonathan Cazenave for organizing this. Thanks to all that were there.

The ASSG offers unparalleled opportunities for learning, networking, and communication, unique within our community. The ASSG is a rich resource that should not be missed! (And this was only its third meeting! We have a bright future indeed.)

For those reading this that were not there, I highly recommend a visit next time (Aug. 3, 7:30pm), where David Moore (hope I got the spelling right) will do a presentation on music from the perspective of choreographers and dancers.

For those that were in attendance, please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences.

Open Call for Works (Electronic)

The Atlanta Composers Blog invites local composers to submit electronic works for upcoming concerts. Composers may submit MP3s (up to a size of 14 megs) to submissions(at)curiomusic.com (replace (at) with an @ symbol). Send whatever you have, it doesn't matter if it's been performed or broadcast before. Please send only stereo mixes (not surround sound, 5.1, etc. as the capability to play these is not assured.) Music will likely be played over a stereo PA system.

Once we have enough material for a 1.5 to 2 hour show, we'll secure a venue and date with enough time to promote the concert several weeks in advance.

We're also looking for video artists to submit ideas for visuals that might be projected or displayed during the music. Send ideas to submissions at curiomusic.com (replace at with an @ symbol)

Pauline Oliveros @ RailRoad Earth

Who:  Pauline Oliveros performing with Dick Robinson and members of RAW/Arts Residency Workshop

What:  A site-specific performance using musical instruments, video projections and computer processing with Max/MSP/Jitter

Where:  RailRoad Earth, 1467 Oxford Road, Atlanta 30307, 404-373-4309

Why:  The marriage of sound and light

When:  Saturday, May 13 at 8:30 pm, $10, $5 students

RailRoad Earth website:  www.rre.net

Submit reviews and discussion about this event as comments to this stub.

Atlanta Score Study group gets in gear

The first meeting of the Atlanta Score Study group, the brainchild of composer Eddie Horst, was held Thursday evening, May 4th at at Crawford Communications. It's an opportunity for Atlanta area composers to get together and, as the name implies, study scores as a group.

Fellow composer Jonathan Cazenave has been handling announcements, communications and general logistics for the Atlanta Score Studiers, so we asked if he would mind reporting to the Atlanta Composers Blog about the group and its debut.

See Jonathan's report as the first Comment to this introductory stub.  [GO THERE]

Review: neoPhonia Concert @ GSU - "Composers Among Us!"

On Friday, April 28, 2006, I attended a suberb concert of new music at Georgia State University. The theme of the evening was "Composers Among Us!" and featured the music of four local Atlanta composers--Mark Gresham, Jim Stallings, Nickitas J. Demos, and Chris Arrell. The neoPhonia New Music Ensemble, consisting of faculty and student musicians, performed an hour long program under the artistic direction of Nickitas J. Demos. A reception followed, sponsored by the GSU Student Chapter of the Society of Composers, Inc., where audience members mingled with the composers and performers...

Find the full review under Comments

Alternative spaces for new music

[open discussion topic]

Where are Atlanta's alternative spaces for new music? Are there enough? What possibilities abound for new ones, and how can these better serve Atlanta's composers, performers, and new music audiences?

Discuss this topic with us by responding to a comment or creating a new comment thread under this post.  [GO THERE]

Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde celebrate new music in 30th anniversary concert

Saturday, May 6, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Druid Hills United Methodist Church
1200 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
Admission $15; Students/seniors $12

See more info and discuss the concert in Comments  [GO THERE]

Composers, Unite!

Atlanta Composers, this is it. The time to get together, to join forces and get our music heard! We can best promote ourselves by getting to know each other. With strength in alliance we can assemble more concerts, recordings, and events. Too much of the Atlanta music scene is splintered and isolated. I moved here in 1997. It was years before I met another local composer. My story is not unique. Another composer I know (a Julliard grad, no less) lived here 5 years before meeting another composer. There is talent all over this city, but too few of us even know about each other. It is common for Atlanta composers to be more popular in other cities than in our own, unfortunately. However, it's time to change that. It's time for us to be seen and heard. Together, I believe we can be a major force in music--in our own city, nationally, and internationally. There is a wide breadth of compositional activity going on here--acoustic, electronic, conservative, avant-garde. Let's learn more about each other and get our music heard. Let's make our mark! Spread the word about this blog. Link to the URL from your website. Put it in your email signature. Get the word out and let's make things happen.

The more of you we know about and the more resources we have to work with, the better we can put together concerts and recordings of our music, get it covered by media, heard by listeners. Let us capitalize on our niche.

Let me and Mark know about you, your music, your interests. Visit our sites, email us. Make comments to the posts on this blog. Let us know what resources you have that would help in our endeavor to unite and promote local composers.

Let's go for it!

Darren Nelsen
composer
curiomusic.com

Atlanta Composers Blog

Congratulations to Darren Nelsen ("curioman") for creating the Atlanta Composers Blog. Darren and I, and others, have been discussing ways of getting Atlanta's composers to communicate with each other, and to let others hear more about us, our music and ideas. I've agreed to interlink this blog from the "Synchronous" new and classical music webzone (a section of the Lux Nova Press website), where we will be working to post news, resources and information relevant to Atlanta's creative community. We hope Atlanta's composers will become enthusiastic about the opportunities and potentials for Atlanta's composing community both online and off-line, and will get involved.

--Mark Gresham
composer/music journalist
Atlanta, Georgia

A Concert of Electroacoustic Music by Dick Robinson

April 30, 2006 at 4 PM

at

Sycamore Place Gallery
120 Sycamore Place
Decatur, GA 30030

Admission $10