Anthony Plog on Music

An important aspect of any chamber music group is repertoire, so we talk about how Seraph Brass chooses theirs and how they go about rehearsing before and during a tour. We end with a discussion of a concert done the night before our conversation... a work by Anthony DiLorenzo (Chimera) performed with the U.S. Army Band, Pershing's Own.

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The members of Seraph Brass are entrepreneurs in addition to being musicians, and we begin Part 2 by discussing the workshops they give on entrepreneurship. We then move on to touring and what it is like to play in different countries with varying cultures. We close this part with a discussion of how the group goes about commissioning works.

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Seraph Brass is in its ninth season and began as a group dedicated to "elevating and showcasing the excellence of female brass players and highlighting musicians from marginalized groups both in personnel and in programming." It is a group consisting of five to six core artists, along with a group of guests who also perform with the group. My conversation today was with founder and trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpeter Raquel Samayoa, hornist Rachel Velvikis, trombonist Victoria Garcia, and tubist Christina Cutts Dougherty. It was very inspiring for me to speak with a group that is so dedicated to its ideals.

We begin our conversation with an introduction of the players and what they do when they're not on stage with Seraph Brass. Then Mary speaks about how she founded the group, how the group began to grow, and how the current players joined the group. We end Part 1 with a discussion of the role social media has played in the success of the group, and Vicki's story of how to deal with social media trolls.

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Seraph Brass is in its ninth season and began as a group dedicated to "elevating and showcasing the excellence of female brass players and highlighting musicians from marginalized groups both in personnel and in programming." It is a group consisting of five to six core artists, along with a group of guests who also perform with the group. My conversation today was with founder and trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpeter Raquel Samayoa, hornist Rachel Velvikis, trombonist Victoria Garcia, and tubist Christina Cutts Dougherty. It was very inspiring for me to speak with a group that is so dedicated to its ideals.

We begin our conversation with an introduction of the players and what they do when they're not on stage with Seraph Brass. Then Mary speaks about how she founded the group, how the group began to grow, and how the current players joined the group. We end Part 1 with a discussion of the role social media has played in the success of the group, and Vicki's story of how to deal with social media trolls.

Dorico
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In Part 2, we continue our discussion about composition, including aspects such as revision, notation, writing in bursts rather than with a regular schedule (and why composing for very long hours is a joy), separating composing from clarinet and conducting, dealing with being writer's block, and working with Pierre Boulez. We end Part 2 by talking about his conducting career... how he got started, and his work with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Dorico
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In Part 2, we continue our discussion about composition, including aspects such as revision, notation, writing in bursts rather than with a regular schedule (and why composing for very long hours is a joy), separating composing from clarinet and conducting, dealing with being writer's block, and working with Pierre Boulez. We end Part 2 by talking about his conducting career... how he got started, and his work with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Dorico
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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Jörg Widmann is also recognized as an internationally acclaimed clarinet soloist, so we begin the Bonus Room by talking about that aspect of his career. We also discuss further how he balances his schedule between composing, clarinet, and conducting (spoiler alert... he really doesn't!), and then we talking about a number of different subjects, such as different national styles of composing, poetry and literature, and performing on period instruments. We conclude our discussion by going back to the beginning of it... combining curiosity with doubt, as they both can point to the future.

Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Jörg Widmann is also recognized as an internationally acclaimed clarinet soloist, so we begin the Bonus Room by talking about that aspect of his career. We also discuss further how he balances his schedule between composing, clarinet, and conducting (spoiler alert... he really doesn't!), and then we talking about a number of different subjects, such as different national styles of composing, poetry and literature, and performing on period instruments. We conclude our discussion by going back to the beginning of it... combining curiosity with doubt, as they both can point to the future.

Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Jörg Widmann is one of the most versatile and fascinating classical artists in the world today. He is one of the world's most recognized modern composers, with premiers by major orchestras around the world. He has also appeared as a clarinet soloist with many of the world's top ensembles. As a conductor, he was the Music Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra for ten years. His body of work is amazing, so I wanted to find out... how has he been able to accomplish so much in such a short time? He was gracious enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to speak with me.
A defining quality for Jörg is his curiosity . He talks about how this curiosity began in his childhood. While discussing his curiosity and studies at Juilliard, we fall into the subject of German vs. French clarinet systems. We then use three pieces to discuss in depth how he approaches composition: His massive oratorio ARCHE , his Ad Absurdum , written for trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, and finally, the Trumpet Concerto he wrote for Håkan Hardenberger. Jörg also talks about the similarities in his mind between Miles Davis... and Pierre Boulez.
Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Jörg Widmann is one of the most versatile and fascinating classical artists in the world today. He is one of the world's most recognized modern composers, with premiers by major orchestras around the world. He has also appeared as a clarinet soloist with many of the world's top ensembles. As a conductor, he was the Music Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra for ten years. His body of work is amazing, so I wanted to find out... how has he been able to accomplish so much in such a short time? He was gracious enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to speak with me.
A defining quality for Jörg is his curiosity . He talks about how this curiosity began in his childhood. While discussing his curiosity and studies at Juilliard, we fall into the subject of German vs. French clarinet systems. We then use three pieces to discuss in depth how he approaches composition: His massive oratorio ARCHE , his Ad Absurdum , written for trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, and finally, the Trumpet Concerto he wrote for Håkan Hardenberger. Jörg also talks about the similarities in his mind between Miles Davis... and Pierre Boulez.
Dorico
Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.