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At the beginning of this week, we went to a performance of the Mendelssohn violin concerto, with Midori. It was very good, although I have to say that Mendelssohn is not my favorite. Also, the balcony at the Hult Center is very, very high up.
In a bizarre coincidence, one of the other composers here, David Carpenter, spent a semester at Wesleyan. This semester happened to be the first of my freshman year, and we determined that we actually did have a class together. But aside from David feeling vaguely familiar to me, we don't remember each other. He is a grad student at Temple and has offered to put me in touch with the proper people if I decide I want to apply there.
Martin Bresnick gave his first seminar lecture yesterday, and I was really impressed. He has wonderful things to say about music, particularly regarding the issue of music and meaning. He's a great speaker, too - funny, engaging, and able to do a terrific impression of Ligeti. I've sat in on one of the focal groups, and he's quite good as a teacher: his comments and critiques have been both full of insight and thoroughly useful. I am going to have to rethink applying to Yale. They had to do some rescheduling, so my focal group session has been delayed.
It's surprisingly hot in Eugene this summer. And the classrooms we are using are not air conditioned. At least the low humidity gives us a break from the heat at night. Unfortunately, there is construction going on right across from our dormitory, so there is very loud noise starting very early in the morning. Yesterday featured what must have been the world's loudest truck. Not only was the engine loud, but the truck rattled and clattered constantly, as if it was carrying a load of scrap metal. We're also near the train tracks, with trains that feel the need to lay on their whistles as they pass by.
In a bizarre coincidence, one of the other composers here, David Carpenter, spent a semester at Wesleyan. This semester happened to be the first of my freshman year, and we determined that we actually did have a class together. But aside from David feeling vaguely familiar to me, we don't remember each other. He is a grad student at Temple and has offered to put me in touch with the proper people if I decide I want to apply there.
Martin Bresnick gave his first seminar lecture yesterday, and I was really impressed. He has wonderful things to say about music, particularly regarding the issue of music and meaning. He's a great speaker, too - funny, engaging, and able to do a terrific impression of Ligeti. I've sat in on one of the focal groups, and he's quite good as a teacher: his comments and critiques have been both full of insight and thoroughly useful. I am going to have to rethink applying to Yale. They had to do some rescheduling, so my focal group session has been delayed.
It's surprisingly hot in Eugene this summer. And the classrooms we are using are not air conditioned. At least the low humidity gives us a break from the heat at night. Unfortunately, there is construction going on right across from our dormitory, so there is very loud noise starting very early in the morning. Yesterday featured what must have been the world's loudest truck. Not only was the engine loud, but the truck rattled and clattered constantly, as if it was carrying a load of scrap metal. We're also near the train tracks, with trains that feel the need to lay on their whistles as they pass by.
