http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog Latest musical happenings. Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:27:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It's been almost two years since I've had the presence of mind to update this page... I'm now on my third year at Eastman of a four year program to receive an MA in Composition and an MM in Conducting.  I'm very lucky to be here and the opportunities have expanded ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2011/01/04/since-last-update/ My first MA year at Eastman is coming to a close.  I feel very lucky to have gotten to know a lot of wonderful people here. The opera, as ever, is chugging along.  On Monday, the Eastman Philharmonia is reading the second act interlude, so in a bit of a pensive ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2009/04/25/32/ I am at my Chicago O'Hare layover on my way back to Rochester after a wonderful (albeit short) trip to Los Angeles to participate in a talk-back session and several interviews regarding a new piece for solo viola, commissioned by playwright EM Lewis, for her production Song of Extinction, playing ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2008/11/17/first-update-in-a-while/ It's been some time since I posted here; in truth, I have been having a small hiatus from working.  It's been a fallow-- and in that sense, productive-- two months, and I feel almost recharged.     Some exciting things are happening to/with Sarajevo Vespers, which I will elucidate as soon as they ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2008/07/20/srebrenica-fields-and-more/ Graduation is coming up. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing this summer, aside from premiering Srebrenica Fields in northern California, and reviewing music history/voice leading for my placement exams at Eastman. I'm going to miss USC a lot (by which I mean Thornton); it's been an incredible time of ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2008/05/07/and-so-it-goes/ Well, the year is winding down in some ways.  I have an orchestra reading next Thursday, of material to be used in the prelude to my upcoming opera, Sarajevo Vespers.  The USC Thornton Symphony is at the end of its awesome season, and I'm grateful for their good attitude with ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2008/04/19/recital-eastman-etc/ I have recently added the recording of my Chamber Concerto for Two Violins, which was performed by Sakura Tsai and Helen Kim with the Starving Composers' Ensemble on December 2, 2007. As usual, this was a two-rehearsal performance, and it went quite well considering the number of last minute logistical ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2008/01/07/chamber-concerto-etc/ Since/while indulging in the aforementioned respite, I've been busy working on a variety of projects. Today, I conducted the premiere of Spires Unceasing with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra. It was received enormously well; I was cheered that a number of people who normally "dislike contemporary music" were mesmerized, ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2007/06/03/spires-unceasing-premiere-in-palo-alto-ca/ Things continue to go well. This past weekend, Peter Schueller premiered Epigrams Thrice Untempered, a work for tenor and chamber ensemble, staged by renowned opera director Ken Kazan. The performance went well and there will soon be a posted recording on this site. I completed revisions of Spires Unceasing for the ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2007/03/28/spring-continues/ Having conducted six very different pieces in the past three weeks, I'm looking forward to one more this Sunday. Prope Silvam is being premiered by a subset of SCE in Newman Hall, USC at 4pm. Next week I cover for Frank Ticheli with CME for the first time; ... http://www.geoffreypopemusic.com/blog/2007/02/28/20/