Alexandra Gardner | Building Noises

There really aren’t enough good things to say about a hairdresser who truly understands one’s cowlick situation. Mine also happens to be an up-and-coming DJ and producer!

August! To be honest, I’m not really a fan. Hot, sticky, even thoughts seem a bit stuck in the air… I find myself just waiting for September to roll in. But this year it has suddenly filled up with all sorts of events and work and the very best thing, out-of-town friend visits! Why anyone would come to DC in August is beyond me, but I’ll take it!

Last week I put finishing touches on a bunch of music composed for a new radio documentary series about global warming research taking place in Antarctica. I made the theme music and all the material in between, which included musical segments with labels like “glacier music”, “scientific investigation music”, “historical discovery music” and “cold windy desolate music”. Using Ableton Live as a primary software tool was a blast (why, oh why did I not learn this program years ago??!), and I am so so so glad I have learned to archive almost all of my composing stuff. Those improvised recordings from earlier pieces weren’t right for those things at those times, but some of them work great for this thing now. I was positive that material was useless - ha!

The radio programs have yet to be assembled and edited, so I only have the faintest idea of how the music will fit in….can’t wait to find out! Will keep you posted about when the final products hit the airwaves.

In other new music news:

• This looks like quite possibly the best new music festival ever. Words about it are here and here.
• My favorite Bad Boys of Baltimore have unleashed the new Mobtown Modern website, which includes 2008-2009 season concerts. Looking forward to joining them in October!

This is turning into a deliciously summery summer, with plenty of exercise (jogging and tennis are my favorites!), fresh vegetables and fruit, spontaneous friend gatherings, sunsets watched from the roof deck.

I am heading out once more to North Carolina, this time for a little beach romp at Blackbeard’s home. Having spent nearly every summer of my youth in Maine, traveling south to vacation in an even hotter, more humid place than DC seems contrary to reason, but far be it from me to turn down a chance to find the perfect sand dollar.

Among other musical projects, I am writing an orchestra piece. Some days it seems a truly….Don Quixote affair, given the enormity of it, but it’s really fun! This music has been nudging me for a couple of years, and now it is flowing along nicely. I’ve also been pouring over my motley collection of orchestra scores - looking, listening, gently pulling the music apart to rediscover what makes it tick.
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This video is sure to put a smile on your face! And this for a little relief from the heat.

Has anyone read this article in The Atlantic?? I thought I was just becoming really scattered; turns out my brain is being reformatted, and it is totally catching!

Truthfully, since entering into a more “webby” existence, my book reading habit has slowed to a crawl…measures are being put in place to fix that. After all, I really like books! Same with music listening. Often I crave silence more than anything, but this I blame less on the internet and more on three years of audio over-saturation at the last day job. Not certain yet whether my ears just tire more easily now, or if it’s simply that I am more aware of what that feels like, and have the good sense to hit the “pause” button.

Still, a girl needs to pay the bills. I spent June managing an online job board for a very excellent organization, which was a pretty interesting gig. I am happy that I can now spell Kyrgyzstan without looking. And isn’t Chief of Party a brilliant job title??
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Assorted tidbits for a long weekend:

• Anyone planning on passing through Barcelona should report directly to this walking tour. Don’t let the Spanish/German website scare you off - they speak perfect English, too.
• I am so glad that Anne Midgette will be staying at the Washington Post!! Read about it here.
• Recent listening: Ash by composer, friend, and co-Vassarite Jonathan Elliott.
• I completely, thoroughly adore The Daily Coyote.

Happy July 4th, everyone! Sparkler time!!

Some tidbits regarding the National Perfoming Arts Convention, in no particular order…

• Overall the convention seemed well organized. If there were train wrecks, I missed them.
• Because this event was all about the AmericaSpeaks process, many caucus meetings were attended.
• The week also involved numerous martinis.
• Had the martinis been integrated into the caucus meetings, the process might have yielded more innovative results.
• My Ultimate Dinner Party Guest List has now been updated to include:
• Anna Deavere Smith
• Jim Collins
• Jose Antonio Abreu
• Watching Marin Alsop conduct is fantastic - especially during the really bouncy material in the first act of Nixon in China. (She is already on the Ultimate Dinner Party Guest List)
• People are much more friendly in the Western states. Much.
• I was also quite happy to encounter some friendly people from the East Coast.
• A visit to an aptly named establishment on the last night of the convention with some of above friendly people seemed only proper.
• Denver makes one realize that there is not enough moisturizer in the world. Bathing in olive oil becomes a viable option.
• The Rockies are jaw-droppingly beautiful. I am obsessed with alpine tundra. And red rocks, of course!

The view this afternoon….

Already I am cheating on my own blog! Last week the writing happened on NewMusicBox. I totally blame Molly.

After 4 days of meetings and name badges and (as another Alex calls it) schmooze-ic and copious doses of fluorescent light, I was only too happy to get out of the city and into the mountains! If I ever find myself in need of protection, I am definitely calling this guy:

Stuck in Memphis until my rescheduled flight tomorrow…. after a weekend of moose and elk and bighorn sheep, I’m now hoping to see an Elvis!

Today I’m packing for a trip to Denver, CO, to attend the National Performing Arts Convention 2008. It’s quite a thing - performing arts organizations and artists of all shapes and sizes are gathering together to figure out how we can work more cohesively to create a sustainable future for the performing arts in the U.S. Some larger organizations have invited an assortment of individual artists to lend a voice to the discussions. There will be a gaggle of composers in the house, and we’ve been encouraged to jump right in and let everyone know about the sorts of things we do, the issues encounter as creators, and how our work contributes to the artistic climate. I think it is going to be very, very interesting!

Do you think I should bring the powdered wig??
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In other news, it seems I am not the only tech geek in the family! My brother just sent over this frighteningly accurate virtual self-portrait:

Clearly there needs to be far more delgation of Gardner Technical Director projects. Watch out, bro!

…he might have entered into his rather enviable circumstances by having a support page on his website. One never knows unless one asks, nicely.

Many thanks to Jonathan Matis, Director of the American Composers Forum DC Chapter for graciously providing nonprofit fiscal sponsorship. Tax deductions are fun!!

Okay! The shiny new website is up and running. It was definitely time for a makeover!

At some point last autumn, a couple months into managing livingroom.org, I made the foolhardy decision that I would redesign my website myself, and learn all the XHTML and CSS to do it right. So after reading up on these subjects, looking at countless websites and cleaning all the sloppy, outdated PageMill code from seven years ago (!), here we have it. There are a few small additions and tweaks on the way (surprises are always nice) but this should keep you busy for now.

Honestly? I learned a TON hand-coding the whole darn thing with only my trusty companion, TextWrangler.

Dreamweaver??! Pffft!

The biggest change is that the music part of the site has been reorganized - now you can just click on the titles of the compositions and be swiftly transported to program notes and audio.

Please do go have a click around! If you find any problems - links that don’t work, rendering problems, typos - feel free to comment here and let me know.

Thanks!!

Tomorrow night the group Barcelona Modern Project will play my piece Crows at Auditorio SGAE (Sociedad General De Autores Y Editores is the Spanish equivalent of ASCAP), in a program of otherwise all-Catalan composers. I’ve never met the BMP folks in person - they started up around the time I returned to the US at the end of 2004, and have been going strong since. They chose the score from Nino’s stash, and according to director Marc Moncusi the group is having a blast with it!

The interesting part about this is that Crows is probably the most “American” sounding (for what that’s worth) piece I’ve got to offer, which means it is going to sound really different than the rest of the program. Inspired by the poetry of awesome Joy Harjo, it lands you in the middle of the desert Southwest.

Wondering how this is going to work??! Barcelona people, you should check it out and report back! Be sure to stop at La Plata afterwards for pescaditos…