Finale!

Alright, I haven't really told any of you this, yet, but I'm pretty sure 99% of you already know that I won a mini grant to get Finale installed on about 12 or 13 of the computers in the lab at school. To contrast that, I'd like you guys to read an article by Eric Whitacre pretty much bashing Finale and a lot of the things we do in class. I think this should provide some interesting discussion. Actually, when I was a composition major in college, I refused to use Finale until my last year; then, naturally, I got addicted once I tried it.

A Couple of Living Composers...

I thought I'd post something about two currently successful American composers that I've mentioned to some people in class. The first is the heavily techno influenced choral composer,Eric Whitacre. [He creates some really astounding a capella works.] He has also started a NEW BLOG which he keeps updated with rehearsals, performances, and releases of his work. If you want to get a true sense of what being a full time composer is like in this day and age, that is a wonderful place to start.

The other composer is Philip Glass who has been not only a great creator and proponent of minimalism, but he has also composed for many films, operas, etc.

Along Those Lines...

This ties in nicely with the previous post. Here is a performer [Imogen Heap] who is singing a capella and harmonizing with herself using a looper. This was performed live at a radio station. Part of this song appears in the movie "The Holiday." Imogen Heap has also been a major inspiration to classical living composer, Eric Whitacre.