Alexandra Gardner | Building Noises

Holy Moly. Hi! Has it seriously been nine months? It’s turrrrble, so much radio silence.

Believe it or not, I have actually been writing all this time! In fact, I’ve probably written more words in the past nine months than in the last nine years (rest assured that I am just as surprised as you are). Since July 2010 I’ve been working as an editor of NewMusicBox, for which, in addition to tons of behind-the-scenes administration-y sorts of things like the herding of writers, editing all manner of media, planning, organizing, tweeting and such, I’ve been writing a weekly blog post, short essays about CDs that land on my desk, and producing some artist interviews. Lots of words about music. It’s a super cool way to keep the lights on, and I feel very fortunate to have such wonderful and talented folks to work with as Molly Sheridan, Frank J. Oteri, and the entire gang of the brand-spanking newly formed New Music USA.

So life in general has been mad busy and productive. Last spring N and I became homeowners in Baltimore, and now we think about things like plumbing and masonry far more than we ever imagined possible. I am absolutely loving Baltimore in all of it’s unabashed quirkiness. There is a strong sense of place here, and people are very attached to their “Charm City”. Such a change from the transience of Washington, DC!

Music projects are percolating along nicely, and this year has brought performances all around the country as well as abroad, including a tour in the Northernmost part of Sweden! I’m currently looking forward to some face time with the wonderful Nadia Sirota, to work on her new piece for viola and electronics, Seduction Involves Patience. It was a blast to write, and I can’t wait to hear her play it! I still need to write a program note for the piece, and I am seriously considering using this to do it. There is also a big new composition in progress which I hope to tell you more about in early 2012.

It’s looking like a hunkered-down, nose-to-grindstone set of adventures in the making for 2012, but if you decide to stick around, I promise to turn up the volume more frequently and share some words, sounds and pictures on this space.