looking for you
shane cadman (illustrious theatre orchestra/new music impresario) is looking for an southern california based “art music” composer/performer (solo or ensemble) to perform for approximately 30 minutes on his realnewmusicfestival in whittier on june 23rd. More info can be found at www.realnewmusic.com, or can also contact him for more info.
when i was helping shane look for a group to fill the spot it made me think of a post my blogging neighbor david ocker who recently wrote:
So I wonder, does new music really “live” in Los Angeles – or does it just manage to survive? Our vast metropolis never seemed conducive to a small, intense, creative forward-looking musical scene. It doesn’t seem so now. I fear it never will.SoCal is a nice place to live if you like dim sum or soba noodles or Korean seafood pancakes or tacos al carbon. We have lots of sun and lots of green plants. You’d like that. We also have lots of isolation from places where new music seems to actually matter to people. This is a huge boon to us. We can keep tabs via the Internet on all you other guys as you do important stuff.
i guess the question really is do we have a “scene” or not. i think there are a few points to consider:
when trying to make a list of socal based new music ensembles i realized that only the Californa E.A.R. unit, XTET, Lloyd Rodgers Group and the Vinnie Golia Large Ensemble have been performing for more than 10 years, so i think the argument can be made that the recent additions look promising. (i’ll probably incorporate this list as a good reference page on the website. and please contact me if you would like to be added.)
California E.A.R Unit
Counterpoint Culture/Jon Brenner
Ensemble Green/Lynn Vartan
Liquid Skin Ensemble/Steve Moshier
Lloyd Rodgers Group
Paul Bailey Ensemble
Mladi Chamber Orchestra
Nimbus Ensemble/Young Riddle
Robin Cox Ensemble
Vinnie Golia Large Ensemble
Xtet
another problem that we face (in los angeles) is that many of the best and brightest still make the pilgrimage to nyc. i personally have had two friends move (soon to be three) to compose and perform, but i can also name many great musicians who have moved here from new york and the east coast for the steady and more lucrative movie work. sara thornblade, victor lawrence, shalini vijayian, keve wilson, and samuel fischer are just a few of a longer list that i have had the pleasure to meet and perform with in the last five years.*
after five years of actively observing our “scene” i think one of our biggest problems is that our performances are too few and far between to catch the traction needed to gain critical mass.
the importance of any “scene” is measured by the interactions between composers, musicians and the audience, but i still find the most interesting ideas online in our small but growing community, although these conversations that have their limitations and cannot make up for “being there”. getting out and seeing concerts and watching how other ensembles perform is very important also.
if you look at rock/alternative band that makes it up to national a national touring status there is inevitably 3-4 bands left back at the “scene” that they came from. consistent performing, sharing of ideas and the interaction of these audiences is why a band “makes it”. this is probably the biggest reason i switched to running a smaller ensemble so we could rehearse weekly and perform monthly. overall its led to a much higher satisfaction in the ensemble, but of course there is a substantial sacrifice from being away from family.
what does this add up to? i think we still have a ways to go in los angeles (although i’m a glass is half full person). finding sympathetic venues and drawing a steady crowds (more than friends and family) are the battleground for any new music ensemble. i’m very lucky to have a great group of performers that are willing to sacrifice so much of their time to keep this show on the road and i’m looking forward to writing and performing with them for the next 30 years.
*i think there is another point to be made in a future post about how the film music consumes much of the air in los angeles. every time i meet a new musician they inevitably have a sidekic/boyfriend/girlfriend that has moved out here to try their luck at film composing. i get the feeling that a generation of talented composers has gotten lost playing the three-card monty game that is hollywood.
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Paul –
Having lived on both coasts, I don’t actually have the impression that the scene is any less fragmentary in New York, New York simply has a different history and institutional infrastructure, and in the end, there’s no difference between playing in a SoHo loft or the Double Rocking G Gallery.
Your list ought to also include the more improvisational musicians, especially those around Bobby Bradford, John Carter, Horace Tapscott, and the various groups Golia has worked with. (I really don’t know that scene well, but it seems too important to leave out). On a more classical side, I would also add the duos of Phil Rehfeld and Barney Childs, Karl and Margaret Kohn, and a long series of string quartets, from Kolisch through the Arriaga. Then there are a large number of soloists — how about Cage’s teacher, Buhlig, or Johanna Harris?
And, of course, one should never leave out the Roto Rooter Goodtime Christmas Band, several members of which were students of Leedy at UCLA…
this list should be a resource of all the currently performing ensembles in town. i openly admit its hard to know everybody and i welcome any additions. my apologies to anybody who was left off.