Music has been a part of my life ever since...I can remember. My main instrument is clarinet; I believe it's the most versatile wind instrument, equally suited for lush Romantic sonatas, fast-paced swing tunes and nearly every other musical style you can name. My tastes in the traditional clarinet repertoire run to Mozart and Brahms, and I especially enjoy playing English folk music as interpreted by composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams and Charles Stanford.
NEW!! Here are a few MP3s from my home studio:
Allegretto Fantasia, by Sextus Miskow (1857-1928)
Adagio (Lovely on the Water), from Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Six Studies in English Folk-Song" (1926)
Pastoral from Howard Ferguson's "Four Short Pieces for Clarinet and Piano" (1937).
I'm currently the Eb clarinetist with the Nassau County Community Band, under the direction of clarinetist extraordinaire Lou Panacciulli. I also teach clarinet privately and play from time to time with other groups. One of my ongoing musical projects is transposing and adapting pieces originally written for other instruments; some recent successes include several Bach sonatas for violin and harpsichord and selections from Claude Bolling's suites for flute and jazz piano. I'm also working on a clarinet/piano arrangement of a Vaughan Williams orchestral piece.
When I'm not playing, you can probably find me singing. I'm a soprano with the St. Catherine of Sienna choir, a 30-voice SATB group that provides music for weekly church services.
Music I enjoy listening to really runs the gamut – my collection includes classical, choral, Renaissance, bluegrass, Big Band and alternative rock, to name a few. I'm a true '80s child, and will always have a special place in my heart for The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Smiths. Lately I've been getting a lot of my music from the Internet, which is the best place to find truly creative work from independent musicians.
Some cool places on the Net for music and musicians:
Z The Internet Underground Music Archive features free MP3s from independent artists in just about every genre you can think of, and then some. It's also a great place to post your music and start attracting an audience, if you're a musician.
Z Bernard Weinstock is a composer and piano virtuoso with a unique sound and an amazing amount of talent. Visit his site to hear tracks from his first album, Evening, and samples of material for his upcoming release – you may even catch a glimpse of him on video! Bernard is a great guy and a good friend; he is also going to be very famous one day.
Z Although Kenny Werner is an acclaimed jazz pianist, I admit I know more about his writings than his music. His book Effortless Mastery is based on the idea that music comes from a divine source and is channeled through musicians, if only we can get out of our own way. "Music is ecstasy," he says, and I can't argue with that.
Z The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra is another group conducted by Lou Panacciulli. The orchestra performs extensively in Nassau County, Long Island, and has received an Emmy nomination for its PBS special!
Z If you're a fan of J.S. Bach, you've got to check out this site. Ambitious "virtual musician" and Bach devotee Bruno DeGiusti has recorded a number of works as MIDI files. Has he achieved the "pure and clear" sound he believes Bach is smiling down on from Heaven? You be the judge.
Music...gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination,
a charm to sadness and a gaiety and life to everything.
– Plato
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