Short answer, YES! Welcome to my first blog post! I'm so glad that you're here.
Long answer, YYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS... no just kidding. Real explanation below.
Admist the COVID-19 outbreak solidarity, I had an idea... what if I created a website that advocated for my fellow composers, while encouraging people (new music enthusiasts and non-music people alike) to listen to classical music created by people who were actually alive? New music has been a passion of mine for awhile, and I want a way to share that passion with others.
But to be honest, it has been difficult to know where to start. How do I get informed of concerts, album drops, new music "news", and calls for scores? Where are composers posting their tracks? Is there a way I can educate myself on resources, community groups, and conferences? Is there a way to share who I'm listening to and what I'm excited about? Is there a magic place where all this happens that no one has told me about?
The answer to a lot of these questions is research. You have to do all the research yourself, find the sites, track the news, and somehow find new composers to follow (or follow your professor's composers that they follow). It is a lot of work that often ends up being last on my list of things to do because of my ignorance.
As I have struggled and slacked off, (because let's face it, researching takes a special kind of energy) I have become increasingly dissatisfied with my incompetency, and lack of knowledge. These are my fellow colleagues, my peers, my mentors. I want to learn from them, listen to their beautiful music, and one day (when COVID-19 stops being as much of a thing) collaborate with them. But, how? How do I do this and do it well?
So, about a week ago, I had a revelation (not really, don't freak out). I started creating a website where all kinds of people can come and learn about new music. It will contain a resource page for composers, a database of living composers, and a blog, written by myself, that will feature one composer or new music group a week. The hope is to have a place for composers to get the help they need/want discovering new artists/music, and to encourage anyone and everyone to come and listen to the music created by some great living composers.
There are three pages (as you might've already seen). The Composer Resource page is for anyone looking to compose who might be needing links to support groups, copyright information, classical news outlets, and any other resources that I have found. The Composer Database page contains (and is continuously being updated with) information on living composers. Keep in mind that this page will always be a work in progress as compiling a list of living composers is quite a sizeable task. And lastly, there is this blog page. I will be updating it weekly with reviews of living composers and new music groups.
So, why am I doing this again? I desire to share my passion for music and education with the world, while rising to be an advocate and promoter for my colleagues. This site offers a great way for to me start being more active than I have been and (hopefully) helps others on the way.
Besides, it is my strong conviction that this world needs to hear what we as contemporary classical composers have to say. Because you never know, it might speak to you like nothing ever has before.
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