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.

The Soloist

There's an intriguing movie set to be released this coming March called The Soloist. This movie traces the interaction between journalist Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Anthony Ayers- a former Julliard cellist who succumbs to schizophrenia and winds up homeless on the streets of L.A. This is based on true events, and the actual articles that Steve Ayers published, beginning in 2005, along with a video journal with actual footage of the REAL Ayers can be found here.

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.