On Sunday, July 22, 2012, The Cumberland Orchestra at SSMF will have the great honor and opportunity to play a work of the renown living composer in residence with the Chicago Symphony, Mason Bates.  This composer is like now other. He combines classical fundamentals with the forward moving ideas of techno-multimedia ideas. Here's what the CSO has to say of its artist is residence:

"The music of Mason Bates fuses innovative orchestral writing, imaginative narrative forms, the harmonies of jazz and the rhythms of techno. Frequently performed by orchestras large and small, his symphonic music has been the first to receive widespread acceptance for its expanded palette of electronic sounds, and it is championed by leading conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Riccardo Muti, and Leonard Slatkin. He has become a visible advocate for bringing new music to new spaces, whether through institutional partnerships such as his residency with the Chicago Symphony, or through his classical/DJ project Mercury Soul, which has transformed spaces ranging from commercial clubs to Frank Gehry-designed concert halls into exciting, hybrid musical events drawing over a thousand people."

Words can not define this amazing composer of the youth of the new millennium.  Only witnessing Bate's work can begin to help define who he is. There are two videos below, the first is a excerpt of one of his works from Carnegie Hall, and the second is an interview with John Adams of the San Francisco  Symphony where he explain the artistic process of creating.

July 14 - 15 2012 So much is happening this summer in music it is difficult but fun to try and keep up with all the delicious events happening in and around Nashville. Just a list of an update of what is coming up and a few excerpt videos of a few things that were performed this weekend. NASHVILLE IS DeFiNeTeLy MUsIc CiTy uSa. Our beloved Maestro of the Nashville Symphony is in Sao Paulo

City Conducting the Orquestra do Festival

http://www.festivalcamposdojordao.org.br/programacao-interna2011.php?id=17  

And this past Saturday, at SSMF, a chamber orchestra played an excellent performance of Mozart's Little G symphony no 25 in G minor K 183

Music has a way of moving people - literally. We all know the formal aspects of music and movement such as ballet, modern dance and ballroom. We will investigate those forms and their association with music next week.
This week I more interested in what happens when, to borrow a phrase a friend used today, the formal walls are dropped, and the music is played in a natural environment where people - literally to just start moving and engaging in the natural setting around them.

The below video is choreographed - but not in the usual sense. It has strong elements of people joining in and picking up steps because they want, even more are compelled to move, instead of just watch and listen on the sidelines. You can easily pick these people out, but it doesn't distract from the story of the dance. It doesn't keep the intended story from being told, and it doesn't keep those who are "just the audience" from becoming participants in the perfromance

Another interesting point is - many in the crowd know the couple but many don't; many look at the antiquated boom box with a yucky look, but then in the passion of moving it too ceases to be an issues. This begs the questions,  what is more important, the quality of the hall, the quality of the music, the power of the audience, the joy of those listening, the power of being moved, kismet, or something else. Surely there is the element of choreography as with every performance, but what makes this one scene so very successful?