The landscape is both breathtaking and formidable. The pinnacle hike, everyone told me, is Mount McGregor. The trail ascends 6500 vertical feet over 8.3 miles. Many make the trek an overnight one, but I decided to go as far as possible and back down in...
Read MoreNewport is renowned for its audacious display of wealth, yachting, and its jazz festival. But there’s so much more to its current culture. The oldest tavern as well as the oldest lending library in America is here. As I researched, Newport’s vast and complex cultural...
Read MoreTaking the ferry, the terrain from Chelan to Stehekin morphs slowly. Our trip was obscured by low clouds and a brief shower. As it cleared, I felt like I’d gone through a hidden passage; the mountains were suddenly steeper; their rocky cliffs plunging into the...
Read MoreWith Google Maps and real-time images available in a single click, the awe of surprise is waning - globally. This phenomenon is not all bad – knowing that my cabin’s stove will not require foraging for my own fuel source, or that my bedspread has...
Read MoreTitle: Art of the Wild Location: Hood River, Oregon Link out: Click here Description: The performance of my piece "The Life of Ashes" explores the idea of natural process through the lens of the 2012 fire that ravaged part of Mt Adams. As the only aural artist of Art in the Wild,...
Read MoreTitle: Parma Music Festival Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire Link out: Click here Description: The PARMA Music Festival is an annual celebration of contemporary music, from classical and jazz to electronic and rock. The Festival brings together a diverse crowd to perform, collaborate, and listen. The Festival partners with local and international arts organizations...
Read MoreHow many blogs do you follow? Or LinkedIn threads? The volume of millions of us trying to ensure our voices are heard can be deafening! An interesting thread I've followed on LinkedIn asked the question whether a composer must have a music composition degree in...
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Salem Massachusetts conjures up…conjurers! For better or worse, the worldwide perception of Salem – derived from the Hebrew word for Peace – is that of witches, spirits, evil and human judgment gone so very wrong. Truly, my first impression walking down some of the town’s...
Read MoreLandscape shapes culture, but the people who come from elsewhere create impose their own terms and names onto the landscape. It is so interesting how different waves of immigrants saw and named the landscape differently. Since I’m from the Midwest “Notch” was a new term...
Read MoreI love attending music festivals – especially composer centric events where one can listen to 30-40 radically diverse new pieces from emerging and seasoned composers! This year’s breadth of music was inspiring, motivating and also affirmed my creative work. Crossing the continent to Portsmouth New...
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