A Grammy nominated Harpists is releasing a new piece of music in celebration of Mother’s Day (May 14th) and Mother Earth. Yolanda Kondonassis has added Wildflower to her digital album Five Minutes For Earth. It was composed for her by Cuban virtuoso trumpeter and composer Arturo Sandoval. There’s also a music video of Wildflower. It’s part of Kondonassis’ dedication to the environment with her foundation, Earth At Heart.
The universe sings. Or at least it provides data that’s music to the ears of NASA scientists working at the Chandra X-ray Observatory in Cambridge, MA. By a process of Sonification these scientists/technicians/musicians translate data into sound. More specifically music, which is now on an album called Universal Harmonies.
Dr. Kimberly Arcand, a visualization scientist at NASA, says she was inspired by an astronomer who is blind.
It’s almost time to choose another class of Draylen Mason Fellows at Austin Soundwaves.
Hermes Camacho, the Development and Operations Director of Austin Soundwaves says they’re looking for applicants who are not only musical but are socially conscious in the way Draylen Mason was before he was killed by a package bomb in 2018. The current class has their Capstone Concert coming up next month at the Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA.
In what may be a first, there’s The Oxford Book of Choral Music by Black Composers. It was edited and curated by conductor, educator, and composer Marques L. A. Garrett. Listen to the music here.
Pamela Dawson of Desoto High School in Texas revels in her win as the 2023 Grammy Music Educator of the Year.
Apply to enter the J.S. Bach Competition.
Composers might want to enter the American Composers Forum Spring National Call.
The Black British Classical Foundation is celebrating the coronation of King Charles III with a concert.
If you’ve never seen a show called Now Hear This, now may be the time. It’s a program featuring a modern look at classical composers from many years ago and those making music today.
Host Scott Yoo says the show was born 5 years ago in Austin after a concert with UT Music Professor Bion Tsang. The 4th season is currently running on your local PBS TV station.
Who needs a conductor? Not Austin Unconducted. It’s a string ensemble that works with its members to choose the music they’ll play in any given concert. Co-founder Luis Bellorin and the rest of the group is preparing now for their season finale concert. It’ll be at the Draylen Mason at KMFA on April 6th.
This is a collection of stories about interesting people doing interesting things.
Jazz pianist and composer ArcoIris Sandoval spent her summer all over the place. We met her in July at the Zinc Bar in New York’s The Village where she was performing over a couple of nights before heading off to Massachusetts and other venues around the country. Sandoval took the time to learn more about her craft with her master’s degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music. In 2018, she released her debut Sonic Asylum Trio album entitled “First Voyage” which won a Global Music Award In 2018. She has also earned respect from long time jazz performers. So much so that George Cables performs her original composition “Journey to Agartha on his latest album “I Hear Echoes”.
