Art Song – The Secret from Rubble Becomes Art
The second poem by Valerie Foote, entitled “The Secret”, tells the story of a betrayal of a young girl whose innocence is stolen by a stranger and who, fifty years … Continue reading
Dark Sister, Sing from Rubble Becomes Art
Here is the recording of the premiere of Dark Sister Sing from Rubble Becomes Art, a triptych of art songs commissioned by Kate Steinbeck and Pan Harmonia. This performance took place … Continue reading
From Faint Inklings to Tangible Embodiments
Once upon a time, Kate Steinbeck had a faint inkling about commissioning new music for her ensemble. We had talked about it many months in advance, before she really knew … Continue reading
Rubble Becomes Art – Score Editing
The final and crucial step of self-editing. Yes, I could catch the same mistakes on the computer screen, but there is something tangible and more immediate about editing on paper. … Continue reading
New Music for Pierrot Ensemble and Percussion
I had a lot of fun creating this graphic animation/representation for my new piece. “Abandon” captures a fleeting moment of forsaking self-imposed restraints in favor of complete freedom and joyful, … Continue reading
Rubble Becomes Art
I have spent the last four months composing a triptych of songs commissioned by Kate Steinbeck and Pan Harmonia, based on the poems of three North Carolina contemporary poets. Although … Continue reading
Chamber Music Commission – Art Songs
In celebration of its 20th season (2019-2020), Kate Steinbeck and Pan Harmonia have commissioned me to create an innovative work for voice, flute, bassoon and guitar for the chamber music … Continue reading
“May Night” by Tadeusz Miciński
Crowned donkeys sat on the grass – crickets kiss a wild rose – and death shimmers on the pond and plays a frolicking song. Mayflies, … Continue reading
Endless Immersion – Challenging the “Stereo-Types”
With sound engineer Julian Dreyer, trying different alignment patterns for the looping layers. There are so many interesting combinations, there is not enough lifetime to explore them all. We are … Continue reading
Endless Immersion – Painting With Sound
Painting with sound – I spent a solid day in the studio working with the sound engineer. This project feels very much like painting to me. I stretched the canvas … Continue reading
Winter Music for Woodwind Quintet
As my current home town of Asheville is expecting the coldest temperatures of the year, I thought I would post some winter music I composed during my early period (undergrad … Continue reading
Arts Education Behind the Iron Curtain, Part 2
If you have not read the first part of this essay, you might benefit from reading it to establish the context of the following. The first day at the Conservatory … Continue reading
Arts Education Behind the Iron Curtain, Part 1
I feel very privileged to have devoted much of my life to the study and practice of music. Having attained degrees from two American universities after completing studies in the … Continue reading
New Music, New Year, New Ideas
I am concocting something new. It’s too early to talk about it, even though I have been working on it for a couple of months, but I might be able … Continue reading
Flute Concerto – The Espionage
The Espionage concerto was partially inspired by a poem by the same title I wrote in 2008 (see below) and, in a wider sense, by my fascination with the spy … Continue reading
With Flutist Jadwiga Kotnowska
When I was in Poland, in Warsaw I visited my flute virtuoso friend Jadwiga Kotnowska. She showed me Sinfonia Concertante for flute, harp, and string orchestra by Andrzej Panufnik she … Continue reading
“Farewell Dream Garden” for Soprano, Flute, and String Orchestra
It has been almost two years but I was not able to edit this video until now. I wrote “Farewell Dream Garden” for the International “Music in the Garden” Composers’ … Continue reading
Flute and Lute
I have been playing Bach with Will Tocaben lately. Will is a purist. His lute, as compared to the modern tuning, sounds a whole step lower. I had to transpose … Continue reading
Recording Sessions on Flute, Piccolo, and Vocal
I have two recording sessions coming up in New York next week. On one I will play piccolo and flute, and on the other one I will lend my voice. … Continue reading
Sweet Delirium
Sweet Delirium, one of the tracks on my new album Lacrimosa, employs sampling and layering of vocals. It also features Hardanger fiddle, a traditional Finnish instrument. Enjoy the ambience, ambiguity, and … Continue reading
A Whisperer in the Land of Shouters
Do you ever feel like a whisperer in the land of shouters? Enjoy a preview of one of my tracks from my debut album Lacrimosa. Hear more music and download … Continue reading
Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Sonata in A minor for flute alone
Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach – Sonata in A minor, Poco adagio There are never enough hours in the day for me to do everything I want to do. This summer … Continue reading
New Music – Flute Concerto “The Espionage”
I am happy to announce the completion of my latest composition for flute – the long-awaited Flute Concerto. If you are a faithful reader of my blog, you might remember … Continue reading
Beautiful is the Mention of Your Name
Beautiful is the mention of your name Lovely is the shape of its sounds But were it not for the language My lips would call upon it still With velvety … Continue reading
New Music for Woodwind Quintet
I have finished writing a Woodwind Quintet entitled “Snow Angels”. It was inspired by a breeze of fresh air at the end of a long and humid summer in East … Continue reading
Music Well - Dosia McKay, Composer, Painter, Writer 