COMPOSER SABRINA PENA YOUNG | MUSIC TECHNOLOGY | FILM | CLASSICAL | OPERA

The Composer 's Daughter: A Mother's Recollection  A young mother recollects musical memories  about her new baby in this heartfelt story. Strangers say she has the slender fingers of a pianist. She grimaces at minor seconds and is lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the pounding drums. She cries as cluster chords play electronic strains and is fascinated by the simple strumming of the melodic mandolin. She smiles as her mother sings a half-forgotten lullaby and shuts her eyes at the clash of clanging cymbals. She is the composer's daughter. As I hold her tiny, pink, pillowy body closely to my gently beating heart, I wonder if the nearly ten months she spent in my womb has left any permanent musical impressions on her. I remember the rhythmic kicks she gave me from within when I stubbornly insisted on playing drum set seven months into the pregnancy, my bulging belly only a centimeter's distance from the piercing snare drum . I think of the hours I performed on...

Fandalism Composer Interview: Electroacoustic Musician Sabrina Pena Young on How She Became a Composer Originally posted:  http://fandalism.com/sabrinapenayoung#!tab=Interview How long have you been playing? I started playing the drums when I was 10, and like any little girl, I wanted to be a famous rock drummer when I grew up! In college I became obsessed with electroacoustic music, and mixed that with my love of rhythm and anything futuristic to create the experimental sounds that characterizes my work today like Libertaria: The Virtual Opera and World Order #5. What was the first concert you ever went to? Man, there were so many incredible concerts, but a few that I remember was seeing the Florida Philharmonic play Alan Hovhaness: And God Created Great Whales, seeing Laurie Anderson in Concert in Miami , and checking out the Trans-Siberian Orchestra . I just love mixing electronics with classical. It's epic to me. What gear do you use? I have a Malletkat, ...

Buffalo, New York Nominated for Ice Bucket Challenge - Record Snow! For those that don't know, I am a Floridian...yes, one of those people from alligator country who believes you should be able to wear flip flops at least 11 months of the year and thinks that 70 degrees on Christmas day is chilly enough to wear my "winter" coat, which is a fashionable Miami black and probably a tad bit too tight around these Latina hips.  SO WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I DOING IN BUFFALO?!!?!?!? THE CURRENT SNOW CAPITAL OF THE USA ? BLIZZARD COUNTRY? LAND OF SNOW AND ICE? Yes, today is snow blizzard city here in Buffalo, New York. It is a veritable winter wonderland, something that Elsa from Disney 's Frozen would have found quite like home. And we Buffalonians (yes, that is what we are called "Buffalonians", sounds like something from a Lord of the Rings Wild West offshoot, but that is what we are called) are prepared, and in fact, some are super excited about th...

The American Prize announces FIVE "HONORED ARTIST" COMPOSERS Read the original article:  http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-american-prize-announces-five.html Five American composers have been chosen as the first Honored Artists of The American Prize , the national nonprofit competitions in the performing arts.  Honored Artists are individuals who have proven themselves to be musicians of “sustained excellence" over a number of seasons as contestants in the competitions. The five composers selected as Honored Artists of The American Prize for 2014 are: Lee Actor, Monte Sereno CA Lee Actor Second Place—Music for Orchestra , 2011 Finalist, 2012 Finalist, 2013 Finalist, 2014   David Avshalomov, Santa Monica CA David Avshalomov Special Judges' Citation—Orchestral Music, 2012 Finalist, 2013 Third Place—Music for Band, 2014   Jesse Ayers, Canton OH Jesse Ayers Winner—Orchestral Music, 2011...

Who killed classical music ? A quick study of the possible causes for the current classical music crisis and a list of possible suspects. Was it Colonel Mustard with the Cello in the Concert Hall ? Music Labels and Corporations Over the past several decades, major music labels and publishers have cornered the radio and record markets, forcing music listeners to a very, very small chunk of easily marketable musical slush like Disney pop idols, semi-talented "classical" musicians, and musicians that are more interested in making a buck than making a difference. By cornering plush spots for their artists on television spots, commercials, films, clothing lines, radio, and product placement, they have convinced millions of Americans that the only good music is what is on the radio, and unfortunately, classical music is meant to be heard live. In fact, in most cities, if there is a classical music station, it is often relegated to the local public radio station whic...