The Metropolitan Music Community is back for our ninth year! With a successful first week of rehearsals under our belt and over 220 members playing in our three ensembles, we have a dynamic and exciting year ahead of us!
None of this would be possible without the tireless work of our conductors who bring the MMC to life each Monday, Tuesday, and now, Wednesday nights! Over the next few weeks, we'll get to know the people on the podiums--starting with Brooklyn Wind Symphony Conductor Jeff Ball and Assistant Conductor Kimberly Roof!
My favorite piece I've ever conducted is...
David Maslanka's Symphony no. 4. It is a piece that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck - a truly amazing aesthetic experience. This piece is an incredibly difficult technical and emotional challenge for both myself and the ensemble musicians, but when it comes together - wow! It's the kind of piece I never thought I would get to conduct in my lifetime, which is what makes MMC and specifically a group like the Brooklyn Wind Symphony even more amazing. A longtime member of MMC and BkWS described our performance of this work in 2013 as a time "when the spirit was in the room". I think this is a perfect way to sum it up.
My favorite MMC memory is....
hard to choose so I'll pick two!
1. Performing H. Owen Reed's "La Fiesta Mexicana" at the WASBE Conference in 2015. We had work very hard on this exceptionally terrifying and challenging piece of the repertoire, so to perform it in front of a packed house of band conductors and musicians - nailing it - was awesome. I was so very proud of all the hard work both inside and outside of rehearsal that our musicians contributed.
2. Performing on Euphonium on the first concert with the reformed Grand Street Community Band after the initial split for our organization. Community groups very rarely ever spawn additional ensembles, and to split in half as we did is even rarer. There were a lot of people who predicted failure for the new GSCB - which was a very real possibility. I am thrilled that the opposite happened and has continued to happen as we launch the Kings County Concert Band this fall.
My (non-music related!) hobby is....
Soccer. I've played my whole life (somehow I'm still terrible) and I continue to play in two competitive leagues on Thursday and Friday evenings, as well as pick-up games whenever I can find time. I'm also one of those crazy people that wakes up at 7 in the morning on Sundays to watch live games from Europe (go Arsenal!).
I do what I do because....
making music is a vital part of human nature. I believe that it is a horrible side effect of modern society that most humans have stopped making music on a daily basis. Before the phonograph all households that could afford it had pianos, and those that couldn't afford it created folk songs, sang in taverns and participated in town or workplace bands. Humans have been making music much longer than recorded history, and maybe even longer than our species has existed. It is a vital part of feeling whole, and I strive to do what I can to bring the joy of music making back to as many people as possible.
My favorite piece I've ever conducted is...
Anything by Percy Grainger--it's such good music to play and perform! Also, I like wind ensemble music that is modern and uses contemporary techniques and interesting harmonies.
My favorite MMC memory is....
Definitely our WASBE performance. We've never sounded better and I don't think a community ensemble has ever put so much emotion, focus and love into a single performance.
My (non-music related!) hobby is....
I compete in triathlons and I'm also a pretty good cook.
I do what I do because....
I couldn't possibly imagine doing anything else. I love teaching music!