Collaborative Arts: An Interview with DC Fringe Festival Composer Michael Oberhauser
The 2012 Capital Fringe Festival, DC’s major open-access contemporary arts festival, has been underway since July 12. I recently had the chance to speak with composer Michael Oberhauser about his trio of miniature operas premiering at this year’s festival and about his new arts collective
Read MoreMelodic Rhythms, and Rhythmic Melodies: Azerbaijani Music in DC
The temperature was close to 100 degrees. It was probably even hotter on stage. I shifted, the backs of my thighs peeling off the seat of the metallic folding chair, which had been baking in the afternoon sun. The audience around me fidgeted, fanning themselves with the program.
Once the music started, though, I stopped noticing the extreme heat. It took me a few
Read MoreAmerican Balalaika Symphony Performs in Northern Virginia
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “balalaika”?
The first image I see in my mind is the body of the triangle-shaped instrument. Then I hear a random melody, made distinct by tremolo. Then I leap to the association of Dr. Zhivago, whose soundtrack represents the first time I’d consciously heard a balalaika.
Read MoreA Musical Marriage: Klezmer, Funk and Hip Hop
I had the opportunity to interview David Krakauer and Fred Wesley after their recent performance at Strathmore in Maryland. The full article was published with DC Life Magazine.
The sounds coming out of the solo clarinet on stage were more than music. The rich and vibrant tones defied the instrument’s pitch range; so lucid that they shape-shifted into images in my mind
Read MoreHow To Get Old
A few weeks ago, I went to a performance given by traditional dance ensembles from the Lower Silesian region of Poland. As one of the groups prepared to make its entrance onto the stage, the MC called the audience’s attention. She wanted everyone to join in congratulating one of the dancers, who was celebrating her 90-something birthday
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By PDGACO gaballaloans.co.uk