OMEZINEvol. 1 issue 6summer 2015

Inside Josh Jandreau

Muscal Maps Archive

Meet Jason Barabba:2015 OME Marathon

Guest Composer

The EPIC MakerInstrument ChallengeReturns for the

Frist Time

IN THIS ISSUE: new musc in phoenix.

Letter from the editor.

As we announced last issue, new team members MichaelFerraro (OME co-director) and Jennifer Gunther (GraphicDesign Consultant) have been working hard to organize newevents, write grant proposals, and plan for the future.OME's prime directive will always be to encourage andsupport the performance and commissioning of new music*,while increasing attendance to new music events.Additionally, we are adding community events focusing onmusic and technology, performance, and listening.

OME is proud to announce that it will be the first non-profitin ASU's Consortium for Innovation and Transformation inMusic Education (CITME). This will allow us to easilyconnect with people in the greater Phoenix area with similargoals, and use ASU resources. Our first new initiative is theMusical Map Archive, and the first pieces can be found onour website (ohmyears.com). Musical Maps, in the simplestsense, are drawings produced while under the influence ofmusic. Maps can serve as an active listening tool, whileMaps Meetups allow musicians and non-musicians to sharea similar listening experience. Read more on page 6.

And as always, we are planning for our 3rd MarathonConcert, which will be held Saturday Jan 23rd, at the MesaArts Center. Financially, it's quite a big step up from TheTrunk Space. Please read more on page 11 about becoming aprivate donor, a volunteer, or a performer.

Thank you for reading. Keep listening.

-elizabeth kennedy bayerfounder/director, OME

*OME's official definition of new music is: music** that may or maynot be written or improvised by classically trained musicians who havebeen influenced by western and non-western classical tradtions.

**music being defined as organized*** sound

***organized by humans, manufactured intellegence, or nature

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JOSH JANDREAUInside

EKB: I see you have your masters in composition from ASU – what made youstay in Arizona?

Josh: After several years of listening to counsel and opinions of establishedmusicians, I thought it would be good to try and develop my skills outside of anacademic situation. My bachelors is in music education, so I thought that whileI develop as a freelance composer, I also wanted to develop as a teacher.

As a corollary, the same year I graduated from ASU, I was also awardedan artist fellowship to a music center for the summer. The prospect of trying tomove without a job and attend the music center was just not possible, so Ifocused on finding a local job and attending the music center.

EKB: What composers or ensembles are you listening to or following rightnow?

JJ: Great question. Radiohead has been at the top of my list for the pastdecade or so; I've learned, transcribed, and performed many of their songs andI am always finding new things. Other artists include: Bonobo, Beck, GlennMiller, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Aphex Twin, Portishead,and Justin Vernon. I realize that not all of those groups are the most current,but it's what I'm listening to!

Recently, I've been studying a lot about French music and culture, and thecontemporary composers Philippe Hurel and Thierry Machuel are both writingsome cool stuff. Hurel has a fantastic ear for timbre and orchestration, andMachuel – particularly his choral music – writes with a flair for introspectionother‐worldly detachment.

EKB: What is your day job?

JJ: I teach elementary and middle school general music, instrumental methods,and choral methods. Working with young children is often very challenging, butit forces me to constantly evaluate how I present ideas to students, which inturn informs my compositional process. For example, while it may be vogue to

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A composer, a teacher, and awine maker from Maine

walk into a bar.Their name is Josh Jandreau.

-joshua jandreau

have very complicated, heady scores (and therefore good, right? All extremelycomplicated music must therefore be good!), I strive to communicate my ideasas clearly as possible.

EKB: What is the most interesting thing you've done with your day job?

JJ: This past school year, I formed a new music ensemble, MASiO, which is anipad orchestra wherein members (ranging from 4th – 8th grade) create andperform original music. After our debut performance, we were awarded a grantto collaborate with LORKAS, the Laptop Orchestra of Arizona State University.Through this collaboration, students were brought to the Matthews CenteriStage where they created music using laptops, wii‐motes, and of course,ipads. Garrett Johnson and Justin Kennedy were both very generous with theirtime and resources and the students learned a great deal. Our collaborationculminated in a joint concert put on by both LORKAS and MASiO.

EKB: On a scale of 1‐10, how mad are you at Ducey for cutting arts funding inArizona? 1 being mad, 10 being filled with uncontrollable rage.

JJ: From news reports, it appears that Gov. Doug Ducey purports that children,schools, and art come first. He reinforces his message by taking funding fromschools, school programs, and from classified staff positions. Without myselfbeing aware of the minute, intricate details concerning funding the budget, he(the Governor) appears to be saying one thing but doing another. Where I'mfrom, we say you're talking out of both sides of your mouth.

I teach in a Title 1 classified school system, and many students aren'table to provide themselves with basic materials: pencils and notebooks. Manystudents also enroll in the “Not Hungry Tonight” program which helps put foodinto the hands of their families. Telling a child they are important while takingaway opportunities for them to be successful is counter‐intuitive and counter‐productive.

One of the greatest challenges that arts educators face is instilling thenotion that arts are important and should be treated just as seriously aseverything else. It makes me wonder what sort of arts experiences Gov.Ducey had growing up, and what sort of arts experiences he has now. Whenwas the last time he went to a concert or the art museum? Doesn't he knowadmission is free on Wednesdays? The children we teach now become theadults that vote on laws in the future. Art matters, pure and simple.

EKB: What are some artistic or creative treasures in Arizona that not manypeople know about that you enjoy?

JJ: I tell my students that half of being a composer / musician is learning howto create sound. The other half, is learning how to create silence. There is somuch noise and stimulation in our world, it can be difficult to let things go andto make time for the absence of “stuff”. I'm particularly guilty of this as I tend tobe more of the “workaholic” type. When I can make time go get away though, Ienjoy getting out of the valley to find silence – especially camping and hiking.Arizona is a good state for hiking. I spend a fair amount of time in the northernpart of the state.

Apart from many quaint shops and pubs, Flagstaff has many events goingon, most recently the SSOO music festival featuring Arizona artists. Morelocally, I also attend the yearly OPUS concert held at the Phoenix Art Museumfeaturing contemporary music by Arizona composers. There is also theDowntown Chamber Series, which features five programs a year held in urbangalleries and warehouses – often surrounded by visual art. Local ensembles,

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such as Crossing 32nd Street and Arizona Pro Arte have been around since2001 and 2004 respectively, and hold several concerts a year. They arechampions of recent contemporary music as well as supporters of new musicby new composers. There is also of course AZ Opera, who do an awesomejob promoting contemporary operatic music as well as engaging in educationaloutreach and after‐school programs for schools.

EKB: Any local people or ensembles you'd not‐so‐secretly like to collaboratewith?

JJ: I'm always open for collaborations – painters, sculptors, visual artists,choreographers, film makers, etc. I like taking interesting things andsmooshing them together to make other interesting things. I've wanted tocollaborate with Crossing 32nd Street ever since I saw them perform Reich'sMusic for Eighteen Musicians last year. I have also had an idea for a balletbouncing around in my head for some time; I would love to collaborate with achoreographer / dance troupe.

EKB: Are you always this outrageously handsome?

JJ: Yes.

EKB: Seriously, I'm kind of a mess right now.

JJ: Don't worry, it'll pass.

JOSHJANDREAU.COM

Who madeOME's 2015marathon concert possible?

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And you or your business can, too. Go to ohmyears.com/sponsors tofind out how you can make your tax-deductible donation to OME today.

Your donation will go toward performer compensation, educatorcompensation, and promotion and printing costs.

DID

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theMusical Maps

ArchiveWe are thrilled to announce the Music Maps Archive, a collection

of maps created during OME sponsored meetups and communityevents. We provide art supplies and see what happens whenmusicians and non-musicians of all ages are allowed to create visualrepresentations of their listening experience. We love musical mapsbecause they enable us to intuitively engage with music through visualconnections, movement, and singing. It also provides a funatmosphere for shared listening and connection with others in ourcommunity.

OME held the first meetup on June 14, and we listened to the firstmovement of Britten’s String Quartet in D major, as well as SnarkyPuppy’s newest album “Sylva.” The event was a rousing success, andthe maps we created were colorful and diverse. Take a look at thearchive on our website and you will see why musical maps have us soexcited. And please join us at the next Musical Maps Meetup or shareyour own map with us via email!

Sunday, Aug 2, 2:30-4Burton Barr Central LibraryLecture Hall1221 N. Central Ave, Phoenix 85004FREE

An active listening workshop geared towards anyone and everyone.

There wil l be l ive music, plenty of artistic mediums, & other activities.

Yes, snacks will be provided.

Yes, we will have Original Goldfish, so just, calm down.

Listening selectons wil l be l isted on our Facebook page (/ohmyears)and on our website (ohmyears.com/events)

Community MusicalMapmaking

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C U R I O S I T Y / P E R S P E C T I V E

These two things guide my creative practice. "Why is that? What is that?How is that?" are questions that bounce around my mind all day. When Ifind myself centering, on the act of CREATION, the first step for meis to (re)discover something about which I'm curious. As I start to developwhy/what/how a thing/idea is, as I get sense for the "thingness" of athing, the most obvious or most common version is the ledge I am tryingto jump from. If this is why/what/how of this thing, what elements changeby shifting my perspective? In these moments of approach is where taste -vision - my attempt make the STRANGE more visible - come to bear. It is onlythe through turning the prism of thought/ideas/action that something iscreated; only in doing is the (new?) thing made REAL.

-Keith Kelly(June 1, 2015, pvccfinearts.com)

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Jason BarabbaHELLO my name is...

Inspired by a wide variety of unexpected places, impulses, and experiences, Los Angeles‐basedcomposer Jason Barabba processes his encounters through a personal artistic lens to createpieces that reflect his perception of the world around him. His artistry has included music basedon business texts next to music inspired by television, disco music, and the writings of authorslike Terry Pratchett and Edgar Allan Poe. Barabba approaches and meets each new work on itsown terms and enjoys the challenge of creating music which captures his own, sometimes‐idiosyncratic, perspective of the stuff in life that engages his curiosity and interest.

His music is sought out by performers across the country. Collaborations have includedperformances by The Janaki String Trio, The AdZel Duo, The California E.A.R. Unit, EnsembleGreen, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, The Krechkovsky‐Loucks Duo, pianist Susan Svrcek, TheArneis Quartet, The Symbiosis Chamber Orchestra, The What’s Next? Ensemble and TheVerismo Trio. He is a frequent speaker and guest lecturer at colleges and universities, and haspresented talks on composition and new music at The University of Kansas, ChapmanUniversity, and The California State University at Bakersfield. As composer‐in‐residence orguest composer, he has enjoyed participating in festivals including the Cortona Sessions forNew Music, the University of Wyoming’s New Frontiers Festival, Los Angeles’ Hear Now Festivaland the Vanguard Miami New Music Festival.

Mr. Barabba’s insatiable reading habit and love of literature is a frequent starting point for hismusic. Works by a diverse range of authors including Ursula K. Le Guin, Tao Lin, HermanMelville, Christopher Durang, David Bartone, and Terry Pratchett have all inspired hiscompositional process. Fellow composer Bernard Gilmore called Barabba’s opera ,`dentityCrisis, (based on the play by Christopher Durang) an “astounding work of the highest artistry”.Le Guin has said of Barabba’s work, “Some composers use words as raw material. LikeSchubert or Vaughan‐Williams, he collaborates with them...the texture of the music and thetension in it are wonderfully effective; it’s spare and airy, but strong.” Reviews of the 2011premiere of his song cycle using text from Edgar Allan Poe’s Diddling: Considered as One of theExact Sciences, said it was “rhythmically fidgety, harmonically acidulous, and uproariouslyhilarious, Barabba’s ‘Diddling’ was plain evidence of this composer’s tremendous talent andability to evoke laughter from the listener; not an easy task.”

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from Occidental College, he wenton to study music at the University of Chicago, and composition at the University of California atIrvine, and UCLA.

He is also the Executive Director of Synchromy, a Los‐Angeles composers’ collective workingtogether to elevate the presence, awareness of, and exposure to excellent new music inSouthern California. Through this work as a music administrator, Barabba has a chance to workon programs of music that is often unheard elsewhere in Southern California in addition tosupporting the home‐grown efforts of Angeleno composers. The Crescenta Valley Weekly hascalled Synchromy “one of the most exciting new music projects in the Los Angeles area today.”

Several of his works are available on commercial recordings on the Yarlung Records, MMCRecordings and Navona Records labels.

jasonbarabba.comsoundcloud.com/qfwfq

www.facebook.com/JVBarabbasynchromymusic.org

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handsupeyesshut.bandcamp.com

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Over the past 2 years, OME has provided hours and hours ofperformance time, over $1,000 in compensation, and other newmusic opportunities to Phoenix musicians. We are continuing ourefforts with the Epic Maker Instrument Challenge. And yes, it'sreally happening this year.

We will disclose the date (it will most likely be in November) laterin the summer and announce more on our website(ohmyears.com) and in our fall Zine.

In the meantime, you can start revving up your creative enginesfor the challenge.

BUILD AND/OR PROGRAM A NEW INSTRUMENT.

Let your imagination and limbs run wild.

DEMONSTRATE YOUR CREATION.

You can write a song or just show us what your new baby can do.

WIN PRIZES.

We will have several categories, so your changes of winningsomething awesome (gear, $$, marathon tickets) are pretty high.Plus you'll get to meet makers and musicians from all over theValley.

Go to ohmyears.com to see examples ofnew instruments.

COMING THIS FALL

TO A MAKER SPACE NEAR YOU

EPIC MAKERINSTRUMENTCHALLENGE 2.0

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The 3rd Annual OME Marathon Concert is only 7 months away,which means we are already paying holding fees for the venue, plusthe usual annual expenses of web hosting, Zine printing, weeklymeetings at coffee shops. And of course we have the impendingcosts of performer compensation, print promotion, guest composertravel, ASCAP festival license--all those small things that add upwhen you hold a 10 hour event.

Our point is this: OME wants to create a sustainable place forArizona musicians to perform new music and connect with eachother and with you. This state has next to no budget for the arts. TheArizona Commission on the Arts does not accept Fractured Atlas asa fiscal sponsor, despite the fact that (according to Fractured Atlas'website) "Fractured Atlas is legally registered as a charity tofundraise in all 50 states". Although we are in our third year, it will bea long while before we are able to obtain large grants. FracturedAtlas is a widely used fiscal sponsor that gives us and thousands ofother organizations the ability to operate as a 503(c).

We need your help as a private donor, volunteer, patron, socialmedia sharer, in-kind materials donor, friend inviter, and showerupper.

Help us pay musicians trained at ASU, NAU, U of A, communitycolleges, and who want to stay and make a living and a difference.Help us shine light on this hidden corner of music in Arizona.

Visit ohmyears.com/sponsors for a link to our Fractured Atlasdonation page.

Email us at admin@ohmyears.com if you are interested in helping inany way, or just want to sit down and talk with us in person.

SAVE THE DATE!Our next marathon concert is on

Saturday, Jan 23rd, Noon-10pm

at the Mesa Arts Center

Keep your hunger fornew music on a short leash!!

Thank you, Short Leash Hotdogs for sponsoring the 2015 marathon!

Roosevelt Row ‐ Midtown ‐ Biltmore

shortleashhotdogs.com

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isclassicalmusicdead.com

OME STAFF:

Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer (founder/director)

Michael Ferarro (co-director)

Jennifer Gunther (graphic design consultant)

Issaac Bickmore (event consultant)

thelistphx.com