Alan Theisen (b. 4 October 1981; Port Huron, Michigan) is a Ph.D. graduate assistant in the Department of Music Theory at the Florida State University.
Composing since the age of sixteen, he has produced a steadily growing body of work distinguished by its musical energy and concentration of expression.
Representative works by Theisen include a Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano, Variations on a Theme of Gretchaninov, Eclogue for flute, and the Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra (premiered by soloist Lawrence Gwozdz and the Szczecin Philharmonic in 2004). Recent compositions and commissions include Ritorno for flute and cello and a Triple Concerto. Noted composer Dimitri Terzakis commends Theisen's oeuvre as being "the product of a unique talent."
As a saxophonist, Theisen has toured the United States and Canada with the Sax-Chamber Orchestra, performing at two World Saxophone Congresses (Montreal - 2000, Minneapolis - 2003). He studied the instrument with internationally-recognized performer Lawrence Gwozdz and participated in masterclasses with famed saxophone pioneer Jean-Marie Londeix. No stranger to the podium, Theisen has been a guest conductor with several ensembles.
In an effort to showcase both his own original compositions and pieces by other contemporary composers, he founded the Intégrales New Music Festival in 2005. Now an annual event, Intégrales NMF features world-premiere performances by nationally recognized musicians. Intégrales has expanded to include musical collaborations with artists, authors, and dancers.
Theisen wrote his undergraduate thesis on György Ligeti's Piano Etudes, and has authored several papers on topics including Elliott Carter, film editing, composition as analysis, and Michael Brecker.
Other interests include mathematics, film criticism, and philosophy; in addition, Theisen has performed the role of Oberon in a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, for which he also wrote the incidental music.
Theisen lives with his wife (and puts up with their two cats) in Tallahassee, Florida.
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Friday, September 02, 2005
Four days later....
Well it is just great that adequate help has finally arrived in New Orleans.
I guarantee that if a category 5 hurricane hit Washington DC, it wouldn't have taken more than 24 hours for water, food, and security to descend upon the citizens. And by citizens, I mean rich white Senators.
Good job, Mr. Bush. Tell us all how your fly-over of the area went. Could you hear the people screaming for water from Air Force One? Probably not.
Oh, and as far as the thugs who have been shooting at the relief choppers that have been coming, here's my solution: kill 'em. Two shots in the head. Martial law is underrated.
Is anyone else pissed that FOX News and CNN keeps calling these people "refugees"? They are NOT refugees! A refugee is an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion). The citizens of New Orleans and surrounding areas are NOT refugees, they are evacuees. Am I the only one with a dictionary around here?
posted by Alan Theisen
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Sturmisch Bewegt
So I am safe up here in El Dorado, Arkansas. I wish I could say the same for the thousands on the coast.
Please give as generously as possible to the charity of your choice; let's help these people out!
I can personally attest that spending three days in 100 degree heat without power, showers, drinking water, ice, or fuel is horrible. Everette and I were building fires with twigs from downed trees in order to cook the last of our room-temperature chicken. Thankfully, I had an out - many do not.
Help them.
posted by Alan Theisen
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