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

It has been a crazy amazing musical year!  Our family relocated to New York earlier this year. It's been wonderful being closer to family in both New York and Ohio and making new friends, although it was difficult to leave behind so many wonderful friends in Oklahoma. I don't know if we traded well on the weather. The NY summer is wonderful, but it's a toss-up whether I prefer this cold dreary winter to the hot dreary Oklahoma summer. After two years the production team finally completed Libertaria: The Virtual Opera ! If you have been keeping up with updates, you will know that it has been a long and challenging process, but well worth it! The Libertaria Album two-volume set was released in the summer, followed up by a world premier in October and an online premier in the beginning of December. Libertaria has been presented in part at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and I lectured on virtual opera production at Buffalo State . There are upcoming opera events...

Holiday Fun - SNOW SNOW SNOW! Luminarias It's that time of year where life is full of happiness and family, music and laughter, and this year...Snow? Yes, Snow! After living my life in the South I have officially Yankee-fied and moved to New York, which means that today, instead of wearing a light jacket in cool 50 degree weather or wondering if it's a good day to walk along the beach (maybe not, it's a COLD 65 degrees!), instead today I decided that 17 degrees wasn't too bad, considering the snow already fell. So I walked in cold blustery Buffalo to the coffee shop bundled up like Paddington Bear and enjoyed some hot cocoa and a sandwich.  I have to admit, not sold on this snow thing. Sure, it's pretty, but it's also wet. It looks like you can just swim in it and be lighter than air, but really, it's uber-deceptive. I haven't bought boots yet (it took me years to move from sandals to regular shoes). Only my fellow displaced Floridians will under...

Driving along in Oklahoma yesterday, my mind rife with stress about getting a new apartment in Buffalo, New York, and the disaster of boxes and half-packed scores that is my current home, I was pleasantly interrupted by the lilting strains of Smetana 's Moldau on NPR's Performance Today . Opening Flute Passage of the Moldau In an instant I was awash in musical melodies, thunderous brass, and sonic bliss (all while driving my excited preschooler to gymnastics class). I remembered the first time I had heard the classical piece, playing in a local children's orchestra, and the many hours I spent with an old vinyl recording practicing my oh-so-important triangle part for the upcoming concert with the now Florida Youth Orchestra .  Die Moldau / Vltava (Photo credit: leralle ) I explained the instrumentation to my daughter as I conducted and drove (perhaps not as dangerous as texting and driving?). And she quickly let me know when the tempo slowed down and sped u...

Composer Salon at Cameron University After almost two years of Oklahoma living, which involved tornadoes, lots of dust, and the best hot sauce I have ever tasted in my life, it's time to relocate to Buffalo, New York. While in Oklahoma I enjoyed the Oklahoma Composer Association and presenting the Athena 60x60 at Cameron University. I played congas with the Cameron Baptist Orchestra and timpani with the Oklahoma Baptist Symphony. I talked about crowdsourcing at the Future of Music Symposium and met with writers at a writers club in Duncan. And now it is time to pack the bags and go north to a world of cold winters, blizzards, and more opportunity!  2013 already starts so much better than 2012 ended, with a nation dealing with tragedy as my family dealt with its own illnesses and personal tragedies. Life can be so bittersweet, and when a tragedy strikes, you just hold your loved ones so much closer and appreciate each moment like its your last with them, because it may very w...

Gothic meets Old World Music Sometimes as a composer it can be easy to forget the thrill of performance.   The adrenaline rush as music and body combine into a magnificent magical gem that brings static notes to life and brings an audience to their feet.   As a teen I lived for those moments of performance, and throughout my life I have had the opportunity to play in everything from African drumming ensemble to symphony orchestra to a Goth Old World band called Virelie . Last month I enjoyed a fun last minute performance with the Lawton Jazz Ensemble and the talented alternative bluegrass string band the Blackberry Bushes . Below the Lawton Jazz Ensemble grooves to Orilla del Mar .   The Blackberry Bushes String Band had a lively set that combined bluegrass with classical and folk into a fun and poignant mix that enthralled the audience and made your toe tap.  This was my personal favorite Hoot . Blackberry Bushes I have also had a ...

A 5-string banjo (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Had a great time tonight jamming on the congas with the Cameron University /Lawton Community Jazz Band. We played some favorites at the Country- Jazz Fusion Festival held tonight at Cameron University. But the highlight of the night was the toe-tapping alt-folk fusion of The Blackberry Bushes . Their fun tunes combined the best of country, bluegrass , jazz, and even some classical into an energetic and enjoyable listening experience for all. The Blackberry Bushes website describes the band's music this way:  The Blackberry Bushes Stringband has that rare magic that allows them to artfully fuse sounds from many genres into a bluegrass instrumentation that retains distinct threads of sonic color. This is a daredevil sound that is delicate,bold, and like their thorny namesake, rooted and growing, growing, growing. CHECK OUT MORE ABOUT THE BLACKBERRY BUSHES AT:  http://theblackberrybushes.com/media/music/listen/ It'...