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To be honest I haven’t been feeling very talkative lately, so I’ve been keeping things on this side of the firewall. During July and August I took a break from composing to focus on some other projects (which I will fill you in on shortly), and to rest my mind and ears. Although it wasn’t intentional, I barely listened to music over the past two months. No earbuds, no listening while washing dishes or puttering around the house… Wind and water, birds and sounds of the city were more than enough to satisfy. Slowly, little musical ideas started to creep in, and then larger and more developed ideas came knocking… all are written down in words and/or dots, and stashed away for use in upcoming projects. Two weeks ago I awoke one morning hungry to listen to music. Since then I’ve been happily listening to all sorts of things, letting go and rolling the music around in my head. It feels like meeting new friends, and rediscovering old ones!

For instance:

Un Dia by Juana Molina. That is how loops should be dealt with!

The Dirty Projectors

A Sound Map of the Danube by Annea Lockwood

Then by Jonathan Elliott

1. *CRACK!*
2. SSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHcracklecrackleSSSSSHHHHHHHcracklessssssssssss
3. *BOOOOMmmmmm!*
4. Repeat every 20-ish seconds

That is the sound of trees falling. Weighted down by a thick coat of ice, thanks to the “wintry mix” that had been falling several hours, entire trees were snapping like matchsticks. I’ve never heard anything like it – a strange nighttime battleground. Things became a bit nerve-wracking when a giant falling limb grazed the side of the house where I was sleeping, and for the rest of the night I stayed awake, listening.

In the morning I went outside to see what looked like the set of a strange, post-apocalyptic video game.

I was particularly dismayed at this sight:

Yes, that is – or um, was – my car. Ouch!

After girding ourselves with coffee and pancakes in Colony Hall, which thankfully has generator power, the only sensible thing to do was to go exploring.

Everything was coated with ice.

Including downed power lines, yikes!

It was all very surreal.

And surprising!

The next day the temperature dropped even more, down to single digits, but the sun came out, and oh, it felt like being inside a chandelier.

Long story short, there was a bit of winter camping, a lot of time spent on the phone with my insurance company, and extensive fire-stoking. The staff was completely incredible during my whole time at MacDowell, and over this difficult week they were heroic – many had sustained damage at their own homes and were without power, but they still showed up and always kept their cool, and their senses of humor!

Unfortunately electricity hadn’t reached my wonderful studio before I left, and packing up my gear in freezing temps (even a roaring fire wouldn’t totally warm up the large space) was definitely glum. However, I did receive an fantastic gift during that week – as small pockets of electricity began to come on around the estate, Resident Director David Macy invited me to spend a day working in the music room at Hillcrest, the huge, lovely house that is now used for important visitors. Built by Marian MacDowell as a special place for Edward MacDowell to work, the music room is one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen – my photos don’t do it justice – and I was completely honored to be able to simply look around, let alone settle in a bit and do some composing!

Basically? This was an astounding experience. Another reminder that Mother Nature can seriously kick our butts at any time!

I am tempted to quell my Election Anxiety with chocolate, but have been just barely keeping it together. All fingers and toes crossed, people!!!

Here is a photo of us performing it last week, thanks to the impressive ninja photography of Mitch Eaton.

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.

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!!