It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, so here's an update on what I've been up to since the beginning of the year!
From mid-January to mid-February I was the pianist for a dance group in the Dominican Republic. All of this took place in the middle of the jungle in Piedra Blanca. It was a great opportunity to advance my piano playing while also collaborating with some amazing creative minds. I can honestly say the experience there has boosted and inspired my writing.
Since returning from the Dominican Republic, I've been working part-time as a music copyist for the Thomas de Hartmann Project under the direction of pianist and interpreter, Elan Sicroff. Thomas de Hartmann was a prolific composer who has sadly become virtually unknown over time. Born in Russia, he started writing intricate piano pieces at a very young age, and at the age of 22, he wrote a Ballet called "The Pink Flower" commissioned by Diaghilev. His presence fell of the map and his musical compositions took a major turn when he started composing for the spiritual teacher, Gurdjieff. After leaving Gurdjieff many years later, he continued composing concert and chamber works. His music is astounding and whether or not people know his music yet, he belongs with the greats. That is the purpose of the Thomas de Hartmann project, to make his music known to the general public. My role is to look at the original manuscripts, and to copy everything digitally, while cleaning up any clutter or mistakes. And eventually the scores that I've been copying will be published and available to anyone to purchase. You can read more about the Thomas de Hartmann Project at the kickstarter or facebook page: TdH Kickstarter, TdH Facebook.
And recently I finished the music for a short animated film called "Bygone" directed by Taylor Parrish. I will write a blog post about this soon!