I realize I haven’t written in awhile, but this last month has been an incredible month of first times…
1) The first time I performed one of my own compositions in a concert hall.
I performed my piano piece “Equinox” in the McAfee Concert Hall as part of the Student Composers Recital. As far as I know, I was the only freshman composer who participated. It was wonderful to hear the sound of my piece performed in such a wonderful venue. And it was such an thrill to be featured among so many other talented artists at this school!
2) The first time I was an assistant engineer in a session at a professional studio.
One of my audio engineering major friends from school was producing a singer/songwriter’s debut EP, and he asked me to assist the tracking and overdub sessions. The artist was very talented, and we had some great players on that record. I can’t wait to hear how the final project turns out!
3) The first time I joined a professional band.
I knew someone who knew someone who needed a keyboard player, and now here I am. It’s an up-and-coming group (fellow music students at my college), but they’re legit…
4) The first time I received international recognition for a composition.
My track “Bittersweet” was selected to be part of the Piano Cloud’s Best of 2013 Playlist on SoundCloud. The Piano Cloud is an international online community of pianists, and the thirty tracks in the playlist were chosen by the votes of these musicians from all over the world. If you’re a fan of my piano music, I highly recommend you listen to these other tracks in the playlist, too. There are a lot of wonderful artists featured, and I’ve truly been enjoying listening to all of them.
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5) The first time I finished the first piece for my sophomore album.
I’ve begun working on my second piano album. As of right now, I’m expecting it will be out sometime in the early spring of 2015 or possibly towards the end of 2014. I’m aiming for seven pieces, or at least a playing time between 40 and 45 minutes. This first piece that I’ve finished is more impressionistic and called “Oneiros”––the Greek word for dream, because it started in a dream. (This may elicit its own future post…)