As we watch the inexorable approach of the Sequenza21 concerts (December 1 and 5.  Those dates are in your calendar, right?  Go ahead and take care of that now, I’ll wait.  All set?  Great.) you may be thinking to yourself “What can I do to help?”  Obviously you can come to the concert, and you can spread the word, but there’s another thing too. Both of these concerts are going to be free to the public, but we have a variety of expenses to pay for, from the cost of the performance venues to paying the fabulous Lost Dog musicians. 

Our buddy Frank J. Oteri’s seldom seen bluegrass band, The String Messengers, will be pickin’ and grinnin’ tonight at the Cornelia Street Cafe, commencing at 8 pm.  The whole clan’ll be there: Frank J. York, Mandola Joe, their younger brothers Ratzo, Jeff, and Jon, as well as Uncle Murphy. Opening up for the Messengers will be Frank’s new trio Tonally Perplexed which will introduce you to keys you never knew existed featuring Ratzo on bass and effects, Jeff on prepared guitar and Frank on the 205-tone-per-octave tonal plexus. Admission is $10 plus a one-drink minimum but the bar is well-stocked

The Countdown continues. Samuel Vriezen.  Composer.  From The Netherlands. Did you learn anything in music school? Or does the phrase “circle of fifths” mean nothing to you? Louis Andriessen taught me to use a double barline whenever there is a tempo change. Later, though, I started writing pieces in which performers have gradual tempo changes independently of one another all the time, and I hardly use double barlines anymore. What’s your favorite “bad” piece of music? And briefly justify your crappy taste. Wish I had one! I actually think all of my favorite music is quite good. Or is it

Samuel Andreyev.  Composer.  From Paris.  The photo is copyright Philippe Stirnweiss 2008. Did you learn anything in music school?  Or does the phrase “circle of fifths” mean nothing to you? I learned much at the Paris Conservatoire: beyond the obvious technical competence which everyone must acquire in their own way, I was given the freedom and time to develop my fledgling ideas in the most extraordinarily fruitful and stimulating atmosphere.. What’s your favorite “bad” piece of music? And briefly justify your crappy taste. I consider a lot  of the oboe repertoire I play to be bad music, for instance, Pasculli

Rodney Lister.  Composer.  And Boston new music scene insider.  Did you learn anything in music school? It’s been so long ago that I don’t remember. Or does the phrase “circle of fifths” mean nothing to you? If it did would that mean I’d have learned anything? (Of course I did–I learned a fair amount about writing and thinking about music–from people like Mac Peyton (who I studied with for four years) and Donald Martino (who I raked leaves for–what are students for?) (and why can’t I find any like that)  (who were both on the faculty at New England Conservatory,

Folks: I respect you all very much. Really. But you don’t know jack about the upcoming Sequenza21 concerts. By way of fixing this (your) problem, we at the site will be offering you penetrating, deep glimpses into the inner lives of the composers and performers involved in This. The Mother Of All Concerts. The Concerts The New York Times Does Not Want You To Know About (else, why haven’t they covered it yet? Huh? Huh?). First up: Jeremy Podgursky. Composer. (Or just a poser??? You decide.) Did you learn anything in music school?  Or does the phrase “circle of fifths”

On December 9, 11, 12 and 13, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will present Lightning at our feet, The Ridge Theater and Michael Gordon’s multimedia song cycle inspired by Emily Dickinson. Co-commissioned by Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at the University of Houston and BAM for the 2008 Next Wave Festival, this work reunites Michael Gordon and The Ridge Theater, the creative team behind the critically-acclaimed Decasia (2001): Bill Morrison (films), Laurie Olinder (projections) and Bob McGrath (stage direction). Lightning at our feet straddles arts genres, giving Dickinson’s poetry mobility in music while encompassing her words in