A few months ago, Santa Fe New Music, in collaboration with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum presented a concert titled “From Thoreau to Cage: American Voices” featuring Charles Ives’ extraordinary “Concord Sonata” performed by pianist Stephen Drury and John Cage’s “Variations I-IV,” performed by members of SFNM. It was, for me, a memorable performance.



Both of these composers have had a profound influence on my musical thinking, although in two very different ways. As a music student,… Continue

I’ve been gone from Philadelphia for 10 years, living in Montana, Louisiana and New Mexico. Admittedly there are few things I miss about my hometown, although when I return for a visit, the memories - good and bad - flood over me, especially when I do things that are, well, alien to Albuquerque (like riding the subway or actually walking to and from my appointments). One thing I do not miss is the weather. Recently I saw the film “The Wrestler” that was filmed in Philadelphia and southern New… Continue

Recently Santa Fe New Music, John Kennedy’s important and resourceful organization - the only true resource for new music in New Mexico - presented a terrific concert by pianist and composer Michael Harrison. As you can learn from Michael’s website he is dedicated to music in just intonation. Or more simply, tuning of the musical scales that are closer to nature (as opposed to equal temperment) the system that controls western musical praxis. Michael is a student of pioneering composers LaMont… Continue

About 7 years ago I walked into Jack Ox’s home in what is commonly known as the “French Quarter” in New Orleans, although it is politely called the “Vieux Carre” by those of us who were really “in the know.” When I entered her very cool New Orleans home I bumped headlong into Jack’s extraordinary visualization of Kurt Schwitter’s “Ursonate.” Jack’s visualization of this groundbreaking work of “sound art” or “sound poem” was displayed on the walls of her second floor living room on Burgundy… Continue

This blog is dedicated to issues and memories that inform chamber music in the 21st century. The title of the Blog is Maintaining the Flow by Joseph Franklin.

This weekend I had a chance to attend two very different concerts in New Mexico, one in Santa Fe and the other in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque one, well to be honest, was one I produced for Chamber Music Albuquerque. And although it is sometimes difficult to really focus down on the performance when one has other responsibilities as a producer-presenter, I usually find a way. For the CMA concert it wasn't hard at all.



On Sunday as part of CMA's… Continue