Jenece Gerber earned a BA at Bowling Green State University (1995) in a self-designed program of study in Ethnomusicology with an emphasis in Music Composition and a minor in Women's Studies. MMus University of Akron (2005) in Music Composition. Also just a recital short of the MMus from the University of Akron in Vocal Performance. Beginning PhD work at SUNY Buffalo in Music Composition in Fall 2005.

Special studies in Balinese Music on Bali, Indonesia (summer 1993), 1995 National Winner of the MTNA/CPP-Belwin Student Composition Competition (collegiate division), member of ASCAP, SCI, AMC, and IAWM. Upcoming event: "Oregon Sketches" for solo piano to be performed at SCI National Convention in Greensboro, NC.

Currently serving as Teaching Assistant in Music Composition at Brevard Music Center (Summer 2005).


Saturday, August 20, 2005
The Final Hours

The season has ended at Brevard and we've all gone back to our 'old' lives or on to new ones. I've moved to Buffalo and start Ph.D studies at SUNY next week, just two days after I go back to Ohio to march in graduation ceremonies! It was a busy final two weeks at Brevard and I just didn't have an opportunity to write here. I should like to summarize those final two weeks and to provide some final reflections:

The last two weeks at Brevard were a whirlwind of activity. I can attest to this in the composition program especially, as we had three concerts in about a week (two concerts only two days apart!) This was a busy, even stressful time for me, as it was my job to coordinate rehearsal schedules and locations (though individual composers also did a lot in this realm). We had three enormously successful concerts, which were quite well attended. The two final concerts were "moonlight concerts" (at 10p), and the final concert was fairly long and included quite a bit of the "avant garde" variety but it was nevertheless well received by the students who attended. It is nothing new that contemporary music should receive less support than the more "traditional" fare, but the fact that we composers were solely responsible for our own advertising (our concerts were not listed in the brochures, etc.) seems to me not a very beneficial aspect of the composition program at Brevard. I'm tired of being "underground", of having to do everything for myself, as if what I do doesn't really matter. This ubiquitous state of affairs was only ground more deeply into the wound that the "outside" has inflicted.

While this is all true, my experience at Brevard was overwhelmingly good. I guess I came to a point of being a 'new student' again after about half way through the summer. When I arrived, everything was new to me and I didn't have a lot of demands or complaints, I simply made what there was 'work for me'. But after a while the little things started annoying me too much and I started thinking about changes that could improve the experience. Once I reached the 'half way' point, though, I realized this attitude was getting in the way. I continued to fight this attitude in myself and when it cropped up in interactions with friends. It wasn't easy, but it did clear the way for some real work: the music. I rarely suffered from blocks during the summer, and when I did experience them it was always in moments where I'm used to them...such as at musical transitions. But the time constraint of getting good music to performers forced me through these stubborn spots, and I'm satisfied that I did the best I could and I'm happy with the progress and results. I had to look at the music as a 'student piece'...like a charcoal sketch it is not intended to be torn apart and erased and corrected. The benefit of doing this work comes, of course, in the doing (and 'having done') AND in careful post-analysis. I don't think any of it is particularly of 'masterpiece' stature...and it's educational to hypothesize WHY that is so. I, for one, tend to spend too much time wrestling with corrections rather than analyzing/letting be/moving on.

Don Freund echoed what other teachers have been trying to tell me for quite some time: conserve materials. That comes from my first composition lesson, too, with Wallace DePue at Bowling Green, who declared that I had enough materials in a little 3-minute piece to create a whole symphony. Maybe I should focus on the other extreme until it's time to find that 'happy place'. Watch out Reich.

The friendships that began at Brevard are precious to me and I foresee future projects together. At the very least I will be watching for their names just as fervently as they watch for mine. While the composition program at Brevard has some room to grow, perhaps one of the greatest benefits was the enormous amount of time we had to devote to our craft and the priceless interactions with outstanding performers. And for me the spectacular, wild land was a profoundly spiritual inspiration and balm. I want to publicly thank Brevard Music Center and all the supporters and sponsors for providing to me a unique opportunity to live and work in a vital music center. I will cherish this experience for a lifetime. And to the community of Brevard: thanks for being so welcoming and tolerant of this first-time 'yankee' visitor to the South!
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Monday, July 25, 2005
The Thrill

There's a lot of thrill going on around here right about now. Although we've had to say goodbye to our visitor Don Freund, this Friday (July 29th) brings the first of three performances of student works (free and open to the public at 6pm in Searcy Hall, for those who might like to attend). My piece entitled Three Dream Songs will be premiered then, along with works by Alex Kotch, Lee Hartman, Michael Bies, and Morgan Eiland. My piece is the longest on the program, and was written entirely while in residence here. It's comprised of three movements and is set to text I wrote several years ago. The instrumentation is flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello and medium-high voice (in this performance, a full lyric soprano). Putting the ensemble together, conducting it, and anticipating its first performance is a thrill. I have to admit that finding rehearsal space for such an ad-hoc ensemble is not.

This past weekend brought us a rousing performance of Sweeney Todd, Strauss' Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, and Mahler 4, as well as a stunning performance by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. It's no exaggeration that Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical, Mahler is one of my favorite symphonic composers, and that von Stade was the first singer that I ever heard that inspired me to be an opera singer. This week, then, along with New Music premieres comes my primary composition teacher for the last two years, Daniel McCarthy, for the premiere of his Bassoon Concerto with Barrick Stees and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra under the direction of guest director Steven Smith. It's certainly OHIO week at Brevard, because the Miami Quartet (in residence at Kent State) is also visiting/performing and holding masterclasses and coachings this week.

Still, I'm thankful to have the thrill of the wild nature to round out the adventure. This picture is from the John Rock trail in the Pisgah National Forest, just 20 minutes from here, where I endeavored to hike on Saturday morning with violist Jim Lichtenberger (seen here in the photo). Never mind that we missed the fork in the trail and hiked up the steep part of the trail to the top of the mountain before finding another trail that eventually did lead us up to John Rock (with its spectacular panoramic view).
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
On the Scene

Besides hosting a fantastic summer festival and music institute, the town of Brevard, North Carolina is in an ideal location for touring some remarkable natural landscapes. This is a photo taken at High Falls in the DuPont State Forest, just 20 minutes from Brevard. A violist friend and I avoided the heat and crowds by starting our trek early on Saturday morning. Following directions given by Carol Beall (wife of the composition teacher here, John Beall), we arrived at a parking lot that was all but empty.
Perhaps it is not enough to be in the presence of some of the best students, faculty, and performers in the world. This dose of fresh air, exercise, and healthy scenery revived my sense of ease and commitment. In the "outside world" composers seem to spend an awful amount of time alone, writing at their desks/computers and/or pianos/keyboards. Here we share one lab with MIDI keyboards and computer equipment. The communal writing experience is foreign to me, at least, and it is sometimes challenging to maneuver in such unknown territory. For me, getting out in nature to hike was a reminder that even the "human world" is filled with wonder and interesting paths. A day in the wild might just be more beneficial than an uninspired day spent hunched over a computer.

An unrelated word of advice:
Those who might be thinking of pursuing the Masters of Music degree would do well to take a word of advice...when it comes to ordering your hood, be sure to insist upon the COLOR of your DEGREE, not the color of whatever college that happens to be under. For example, at The University of Akron, unless one knows to ask/demand/special order in advance a PINK hood, you would end up with the color of the College (Fine and Applied Arts...BROWN). Thanks to a fellow graduate who was in the know, I did special order my PINK hood, and even had it shipped here (so I'm ready to walk in the ceremony in August). Hoods cost too music to get the wrong color should you need it for further degrees or academic functions. PINK is the color for music!
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Sunday, July 10, 2005
Composition Photos

<--Guest Composer Don Freund lecturing on his Exotic Particles and the Confinement of Quarks for wind ensemble










<--Composition student Jeff Lipscomb giving a theremin demonstration for the composition studio



<--The MIDI/Composition lab where composers may be found at all hours of the day and night













These are just a few pics of the Composition program at Brevard. For a more comprehensive virtual tour made possible to you by the wonders of digital photography online, please visit the Brevard Music Center website and click on "archives", then click on "2005" for photos from this season.
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Fireworks!

In response to one reader's comment in regard to my mention of alcohol, let it be known that I do not condone the use of alcohol by any underage students NOR the abuse of alcohol by anyone. These scenarios are NOT my scene.

For the 4th of July we had two parties, one for the YAs ("Young Artists") and one for the ADs ("Advanced Divisions"). Both were held fairly close, the YA's party at Sonata Lake and the AD's (nonalcoholic) party at FRENCH QUARTER. The only folks allowed at both parties were the Head Residents/Deans of Students, so I can't report with a first-person account on the success of the YA party. The AD party was a "bring your own meat, veggies, and drink" affair. I was surprised to find "veggie brats" in the local supermarket. I shared them with other vegetarian/mostly vegetarian friends...they were a rare treat, as was the grilled asparagus. After dark there were fireworks from the meadow area near Sonata Lake, for the viewing pleasure of YAs and ADs alike. And quite a showing it was, in fact. Rather spectacular, especially for a private party.

Our guest composer is now in residence. Don Freund is no newbie to the Brevard scene. He will be working with the studio class every weekday and teaching private lessons. I had my first lesson yesterday, followed by a JULY 5th PORCH PARTY at the Composers' Cottage. Dr. Freund is amiable, well-spoken, and insightful. I think it will prove a useful experience for all the composition students involved.

Joshua Bell made his Brevard Music Center debut on Sunday, which was a sell-out show in which he played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra under the direction of Maestro David Effron. A lot of students crowded into the pit for the best view in town. Swooning young women were in abundance and Mr. Bell was quite approachable, even attending a party on campus one night and a celebration in town later on Sunday night. It was good to see a classical performer who knows that there's more to life than practice rooms and stages. The BMCO also performed Sibelius' "The Swan of Tuonela" and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12. Shostakovich finished this symphony in 1961. It was not without a dose of despair that I had to think that surely Shostakovich's symphonies are among the most recently-composed works to have become standard orchestral repertoire. I'd like to say that things are different here as far as new music is concerned, but the truth is that the performance of new music here at Brevard is similar to its plight in the "outside world". There has been some effort to arrange a New Music Ensemble here at Brevard this year, but it's having a hard time getting off the ground...as is the case with New Music Ensembles the world 'round. There are a few performers committed to new music performance, and we have to embrace them here just as we do "out there".

And one more bit of fireworks...you've not seen anything until you've seen the smoldering of tempers of those who would rather not live communally but have to or are willing to put up with it for other advantages (the group in which I put myself). Despite the "chore list" in my cabin, only a couple of us demonstrate that we really care to make a difference. It's one thing to not want to clean/put off cleaning for later when it's only YOU that has to deal with it, but we have different "clean enough" limits. I promise not to gripe about after today's post, but because I'd actually cleaned the entire bathroom myself on what was supposed to be MY WEEK OFF, I decided to let the trash can mess created by (undoubtedly) our friendly neighborhood raccoon(s) for someone else to clean up. Admittedly that's not a good attitude, but I was fed up and curious. There IS someone assigned to empty the trash and someone else assigned to clean the porch. All I know is that it hadn't been touched/cleaned at all in 24 hours. I haven't been back to see what has become of it today, but I vow to clean it today if no one else had (and give them all a little mental black mark).

To end on a good note, since I've accomplished so much on my Pierrot ensemble piece (with singer)for our New Music Ensemble, I've decided to expand it to three movements, all using poetry that I wrote a couple of years ago. The first movement is in revision stage, the second movement is 2/3 written and the third movement is started. I have accomplished more here in a week than I'd accomplished at home in a month.
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Saturday, July 02, 2005
The Power to Create

I'm thinking about what it takes to write. Beyond the manuscript and pencil (and good eraser...my students might tell you how neurotic I am about particular kind of erasers, which is really thanks in great part to my first composition teacher, Wallace DePue), I'm conscious of other necessities perhaps even more so now that I have a new set of them at my disposal but also lack others that at one time seemed obvious.

I function well in this environment, surrounded by the Best and Brightest as my colleagues/fellow students. Even here in this communal experience, with all of the corresponding bathroom-sharing and cafeteria-food annoyances, it is possible for the college-age (Advanced Division) student to find alone-time to write. I seriously don't know how the Young Artist (High School/just graduated from high school student) composer can deal with this scenario, but they seem to be doing well, I'll have to ask them specifically. They have curfew that doesn't particularly lend itself to alone-time in the lab. There are NIGHT PEOPLE who work well then and can often find alone-time in the wee hours. I am a MORNING PERSON...and hence can be found in the lab at 5am. I often see no one for at least 2 hours. There's no competition for lab space in the mornings until at least 10a, so by arriving at 5a I'm guaranteed a spot until lunch three days/week and until 11a on the other 4 days (when a piano class takes over the lab for an hour). I've got a 7-minute piece for Pierrot ensemble (including singer) almost finished in 2 days.

This brings me to the benefit of which I am perhaps most keenly aware right now: TIME. My food (edible) is prepared for me, dishes washed for me, I share a small space that can be cleaned relatively easily (although I seem to have higher standards of cleanliness than my cabin-mates, ending up cleaning everything even though it's supposedly MY week off of cleaning chores)...I have HOURS to COMPOSE every morning. My afternoons are "Lazy": after Composition Studio (5 days/wk) I tend to read, put puzzles together, talk, walk, nap, wash laundry in town and scope out local music and coffee, etc. I can learn to tolerate the COMMUNAL FRUSTRATIONS if it means my days can be so well spent. Often there are late-afternoon concerts/recitals and usually there is an after-dinner concert as well. There's nothing like walking the 3 minutes from the cafeteria to the concert pavilion for free concerts. Last night it was the HIGH SCHOOL ORCHESTRA students performing Dukas, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens for the first half and the Repertory Symphony Orchestra (College Students) with Steven Smith conducting the rarely-performed Dvorak Symphony no. 6.

And to top the evening? The newly-built "FRENCH QUARTER" is the Advanced Division hangout...why not watch Michael Jackson videos, play ping-pong and cards and chess and twister or even read a book...all to the accompaniment of plenty of BEER and BOURBON?!!! After the party I had been up for 22 hours though. It's good the weekend is only once a week.

Yesterday gave me 8 hours of composition work, relaxation, work on a puzzle and a book, a walk around campus, inspiration, a soaking in the requisite afternoon storm, free meals and no cleaning, laughs, a free concert and a fun party with lots of BEER an a swig of some of the best BOURBON I've ever tasted. Now where else can you get this?
posted by Jenece C. Gerber

Thursday, June 30, 2005
Software/where?

I had to fly back to Ohio for my grandmother's funeral, so I was gone over the weekend and just got back mid-day on Tuesday. But I'm finally back in action and have something to report.

The composers have been ITCHing for notation software. We have our Midi lab fairly well established (including coffee maker and fridge of course) but composers without their own computers/software have had to practice the age-old technique of scratching on manuscript. While I think this forced technological abstinence might be beneficial to the inner ear, it's good to finally have the software...just installed this morning. I've found it extremely useful to get away from the computer to scratch on paper that which I hear but cannot so simply notate. All the non-standard notation stuff requires it (non-metered, cross-staff, aleatoric...). I think more slowly and honestly with manuscript paper in hand than I do with computer equipment in its stead.

We've been studying the music of George Crumb, which is a particular interest of Dr. Beall. Personally I've been very influenced by Crumb's work in both concrete and metaphoric ways. We're in for a "percussion tour" and a theremin demonstration/experience soon. I had my first composition lesson yesterday in the composer's cottage on the far side of campus up by Maestro Effron's cottage. Of course the trip up there was in the middle of a torrential deluge to the symphony of thunder and the dramatics of lightning, but I bundled up with my computer equipment and scores on my back and the "flasher" raincoat over-top it all so that I looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and arrived fairly dry. My shoes are another matter. I'm writing a piece for the Pierrot-instrumentation new music ensemble "Itch" here at Brevard. I'm also including a singer and the text is my own creation as well. It's a good project.

Last night the first Faculty Chamber Recital of the season was held at the Porter Center of Brevard College. I can't possibly attend all concerts and work and get my own stuff done, but last night's recital repertoire drew me in and the performers delivered an experience well worth the temporal investment. They performed Prokofiev's Quintet #39, an amazingly moving work for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, and double bass. The performers superbly rendered the piece with the urgency and energy fitting of the best of Prokofiev. Faculty also performed several of the short 44 violin duets of Bartok and the Brahms Viola Quintet. It was an inspirational and rousing event! For more information on Brevard concerts, please visit the Brevard Music Center website.

Soft Where? There are not a lot of comfy seats around here, just a lot of unpadded chairs and benches and the obligatory camp bunk beds for students...the concert last night gave us a well-deserved opportunity to relax in soft chairs in a climate-controlled hall. Send Tempur-Pedic mattresses and bean-bag chairs for all!
posted by Jenece C. Gerber