Earthrise for Symphony Orchestra
I am alarmed by humanity’s fascination with destruction. We consume hundreds of films and video games devoted to natural disasters and cataclysms. We entertain ourselves with graphic depictions of gore, … Continue reading
Earthrise – English Horn Solo Excerpt
Before I share with you my new orchestral piece, let me tease you with a short excerpt of the English horn solo. I have never written for this instrument before … Continue reading
Synesthesia
When I talk about color in music (besides being a composer, I am also a painter), I am often asked whether I have synesthesia. I do not, and I am … Continue reading
Fragility
A year ago, during great personal distress, I composed Fragility. Now I am haunted by the same feelings as are so many of my family and friends. One might have … Continue reading
New Orchestral Music
I am nearly finished writing my latest orchestral piece. It has taken me to colorful harmonic places I have not encountered before. Principal English horn players will find a blissful … Continue reading
Rapturous Amazement
What is the purpose of life? In my view, the purpose of life is to enter a state of rapturous amazement. If we take the time to look around, we … Continue reading
How Long Did It Take You?
I truly dislike it when people ask, “So, how long did it take you to paint this?”. How should I answer this question? Should I count the time before I … Continue reading
Patience
At the end of last year, I worked intently on a new orchestral piece but then Christmas and New Year, predictably, broke my stride. Music composition is like long-distance running … Continue reading
The Guiding Light
Producing an album often seems like driving a car from the back seat. Theoretically, if you know where you want to go and are able to communicate clearly, and if … Continue reading
Fragility Official Music Video
Fragility official music video is out on YouTube. Fragility is the opening track of my latest album entitled Groundless. The video concept and editing are mine but the amazing videography … Continue reading
Groundless
https://dosiamckay.com/music/groundless/ I have made ambitious plans for international travel in 2020. I was considering Japan or Korea but a friend strongly suggested China. I had already purchased the plane tickets … Continue reading
Things I Wish I Knew
On the occasion of the release of the 3rd Endless Immersion album, I am reminded of the video I created for the first one. My hair might be different now … Continue reading
Waiting for the Titles
I spent the last few days editing tracks for my upcoming album. One darling was killed in the process and the rest had to justify to me why I should … Continue reading
Endless Immersion 3 is Here
iTunes | Amazon | Bandcamp | Spotify https://dosiamckay.com/music/endless-immersion-3/ The next installment of the Endless Immersion series and another full hour of seamless, immersive musical experience is here. As always, I have a difficult time categorizing my music. This … Continue reading
Manifesto
Manifesto is a strange yet captivating film. Because it is a mish-mash of many art and political manifestos recited in new contexts by the ever-inventive Cate Blanchett, there is no … Continue reading
Composer Desk Again
I am documenting this makeshift set up before the arrival of my new desk. It looks convoluted but ergonomically speaking, it works very well. It is actually my drafting table … Continue reading
Composer Desk
I am reinventing the wheel again, that is, I am reexamining the ergonomics of my music studio setup. The three main elements always are the MIDI keyboard, the computer keyboard, … Continue reading
At Peace
The score has been spiralbound and the parts have been taped according to the Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association’s guidelines. All that remains is to send the materials to the Knoxville … Continue reading
The Flow – Chapter 2
If you missed the first chapter, you can read it here: https://wp.me/p6Qr0-127 The first thing she noticed upon entering was the smell. It was the fragrance of aged wood and … Continue reading
The Flow – Chapter 1
Numbness does not have to be destructive. Its lukewarm embrace can be nourishing, sustaining, prove wonderfully protective. When all other emotions have failed, numbness remains to offer a guiltless escape. … Continue reading
Freakish Intensity
The cover design made it more real. The novel is out with the editor and I am inching toward the release of the book. I am about to enter the … Continue reading
Back to the Novel Writing
Some of you have asked what happened to the psychological thriller I was writing last year. I had to put it aside for the last few months as I worked … 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
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
A Unifying Principle
How do I express this movement musically? And when I hear gripping music, how do I paint it? These two artistic disciplines have been closely related in my creative output. … Continue reading
The Flow – A Psychological Thriller for Artists and Creatives
The Flow, my psychological thriller went out to Beta Readers today. I never thought I would write a book like this. I was only going to outline the plot, just … Continue reading
The Flow – a Psychological Thriller
An exciting day for me. I have finished the first draft of my psychological thriller and I’m able to share a more descriptive blurb with you: “A broken artist. A … Continue reading
Terabyte Tiara – New Painting
I have been working intensely on the harpsichord concerto and came to a point where I felt that a quick change in artistic disciplines would do wonders to reset my … Continue reading
In Search of Divine Patterns
I have always believed that there is a divine order in all things. Studying calculus in college and diving deep into music theory showed me hidden treasures few people are … Continue reading
Toolbox
You can accomplish anything if you have the right tools. However, the problem often lies in the fact that the right tools may be out of reach, you may have … Continue reading
A Quiet Room with a Large Window
To be perfectly honest, following many of you ultra successful artsy people on social media has been difficult recently. Your premieres, international travel, awards, commissions, exhibits, and accolades–you are in … Continue reading
Awakening for Viola and Piano
Ever since I have heard Rebecca Clarke’s Morpheus, my interest in writing for string instruments was piqued. I have since composed string quartets, a string trio, a piano trio, and … Continue reading
The Climb
Mount Shasta. Out of every three climbers who attempt the summit, only one reaches it. But not before conquering the Misery Hill, which is described as a false summit. You … Continue reading
Pilgrims
We are all travelers, pilgrims, believers in higher purpose, traveling in different directions, but somehow on similar paths. Or maybe on different paths but drawing the same conclusions. Who knows? … Continue reading
Open Spaces
I have heard about the vast spaces of the West and it doesn’t surprise me that people have been drawn by them for centuries. Here anything seems possible. I want … Continue reading
The Grand Canyon
After 12 years, this is my second trip to the one and only Grand Canyon. Its vastness and gravity still pull me in the same way they did before. It’s … Continue reading
Solo
I took a solo hike into the bottom of the canyon and began fantasizing about taking a full solo trip. I crave uninterrupted segments of time when I can fully … Continue reading
Presidential Library
I thought a presidential library was a public library on steroids endowed by a president. A great collection of books, recordings, maps, ultra fast internet access, engaging geography or history … Continue reading
Change
Change is difficult because it confronts me with the impermanence of all things. I must say goodbye to this home, to this friendship, to this idea of where I fit … Continue reading
Goodbye
Dear Asheville, Thank you for everything! The last five years have enriched me with new friendships, scenic natural surroundings, and much inspiration for music composition and art making. I am … Continue reading
Treasured Possessions
Some of the most thoughtful gifts I have received over the years have been music scores by other composers. I have many officially released works, as well as a few … Continue reading
A Patch of Blue – Analysis of the Music Score by Jerry Goldsmith
The following is a scholarly paper I wrote during my graduate studies at the New York University in the Fall of 2009, a requirement for professor Ronald H. Sadoff’s class … Continue reading
End of the Chapter
I will be sad to leave my studio at the end of the year. I spent 4 years in this space composing music, painting, writing, playing instruments, and singing. Creative … Continue reading
Świtezianka
In Polish mythology, Świtezianka is a water nymph living in the lake Świteź, also dragonfly with metallic blue, green, and umber colored wings. Watercolors, acrylics, and ink on paper, 18 … Continue reading
Instant Inspiration
Work in progress. Sometimes I see someone in the crowd and know immediately that I want to paint him/her. There is just something about the face or the eyes, maybe … Continue reading
A Life of a Painting
I cannot go to Washington state right now, but my painting “Ebb and Flow” just embarked on a journey to meet its patron there. I send out my artwork into … Continue reading
No Commitment
Medusa – one of my early paintings. Remarkably, as I look back, I feel myself drawn to the same color palette again; soft grays, blue, black. Maybe I have come … Continue reading
Music Well - Dosia McKay, Composer, Painter, Writer 