There is a new bass ensemble that formed recently here in Chicago. It is an extremely high quality quartet composed of four people that I consider good friends and colleagues. The members of the new Chicago Bass Ensemble include Jacque Harper, who I have known for 12...
As I was wrapping up my Masters degree from Northwestern University in 2000, reality started to set in. I needed to pay my bills as a musician! I had won a position in the Milwaukee Ballet and in the IRIS Chamber Orchestra (I ended up getting a position in the Elgin...
I was recently in a music technology lab at a local university. This lab had fifteen computers with MIDI keyboards and Finale installed. About half of these computers had Sibelius installed as well. At least 75% of these computers were sending back “registration...
I got a great comment from the Texas Tech University Music Theory Department Blog recently related to one of my articles on freelancing. I definitely appreciate the mention and agree with his elaboration on some of the challenges that musicians moving to a new city...
In this second installment of my series on professional freelance life as a musician, I would like to offer some commentary on trends that I see in the world of professional classical music performance. This installment of the series is geared toward orchestral...