Introduce Yourselves to the Guild

[`Kel`]

Yay! A Piano / Oboe / Flute player!

Make sure you introduce yourself to Geograce (Oboe Leader) and Septomar (Piano Leader)  

[Cobalt]

Yo. <3

I am a big music nerd, just thought you might want to know.

Um. Music? I earned a music education degree, emphasis in voice, from a small private school in 2006. I was a substitute teacher for a year, a chorus and music appreciation teacher for a year, and now I'm looking into starting grad school next fall (2009), perhaps in music history/musicology. (Not sure what I'll do til then, I won't be going back to that horrid job. Perhaps teach voice/piano lessons.)

I am primarily a singer, and can play piano reasonably well, though I will never be a concert pianist. I also played percussion in college, and consider myself reasonably confident on mallets, auxilliary, and djembes/similar African drums. I have played timpani and snare, but I'm not very good at them. I also took a semester of organ lessons, and would dearly love to continue at some point.

I have a deep love for early music (Baroque and earlier), and lately I have been teaching myself how to read plainchant notation (those little square thingies on a four-line staff). If I study music history for grad school, I would love to focus on Medieval and Renaissance music. Too bad I don't play piano well enough to study Early Music Performance on harpsichord/organ or something. crying

<3  

[Jaydoggy]

Heya, I'm Jaydoggy. I'm striving to be a composer, been writing since 16 and am 22 now. I'm horrible with lyrics so it's usually instrumental, libretti provided by others if vocals are involved (usually not). I want to be a soundtrack composer, especially to video games, but I also want to write concert music. I would love to compose operas (Or at least one for starters). I'll be graduating from the Hartt School of Music next spring with a bachelor's in music composition.

I play violin, five-string electric violin, viola, piano, and play a little of Irish Whistle, alto recorder, and pan flute. I sang in the university's choir for two years, my voice would probably be considered baritone (I'm not a good singer by ANY means, but at least I can sing all the notes with perfect pitch). I've become a very big fan of opera, and respect any and all forms of music, including pop, rock etc, provided that the performers are talented and believe in the art rather than up for marketing.  

[`Kel`]

Awesome Guys, its nice to have you. I play a little Irish whistle too jaydoggy. biggrin  

[liebestraume]

I'm finishing a B.A. in music from Carleton University this year. I play piano, viola, and organ (in that order, lol). I finished a big honors paper this year where I disseminated the precise meaning of "Schmaltz," as it pertains to music. mrgreen

The music I love best, of course, is Schmaltz laden. Franz Lehar is probably my favourite composer, but my favourites also include Sigmund Romberg, Johann Strauss, Antonin Dvorak, Emile Waldteufel, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Georg Philipp Telemann.  

[Marie-Cris]

heart ... Autumn leaves fall and are swept out of sight ...

G'day, I'm Marie-Cris, I love to sing ((always have)) and I've been training in Classical Voice for the past 8-9 years'; one and a half of those years' were spent in the Elder Conservatorium ((Elder School of Music / University of Adelaide)). I've been a member of my town's community choir since I was 13 and was the youngest member to ever join up until a few years' ago when we managed to recruit some of the local high school girls ((it's a mixed choir but you don't find too many boys keen on classical in a sporting-mad country town XD)).

What my vocal status is is actually a bit of a mystery; up until earlier on this year' I've always gone by High Soprano; always guiding the other 1st Sops through the tricky parts ((not that I was a perfect guide; I've had many a stumble too!)), always being selected to do the high solos none of the other ladies wished to attempt ((you can't blame them though; the choir is mainly made up of people in their 50s and beyond with just a few exceptions)). Then my vocal teacher suggested I may be a Mezzo, Coloratura or at least a dramatic Soprano ((some of you CJB frequents may remember when I had a little panic attack about this)). Time will tell, perhaps?

I'm currently trying to learn how to sing jazz for next year's Music on the Murray ((this'll be our 4th bi-annual event and the first time to break away from the classical repertoire we've been doing in previous years')) but for some reason I keep turning tunes into blues, swing and even a'cappella. I'm working on that.

I also teach the basics of classical guitar to 3 high school boys on Friday mornings and the daughter of my TAFE lecterer on Monday arvo; had one good year's worth of lessons with a fabulous teacher back in the 90s followed by 4 years' of crap with a new teacher each year', been self-teaching ever since and just started teaching others this year'. And I dabble in piano / keyboard ((I only have a keyboard, sadly)); I can play Sonata quasi una fantasia with my eyes closed but I can't for the life of me play something simple like Baa Baa Black Sheep.


PS: I have an awful tendancy to ramble. XD I win at longest post.

... So are the memories of love that we knew ... heart

 

[Geograce]

Wow a lot of people joined in two days. Anyway, nice to meet you all!  

[LadyBherd]

hey hey!
i play piano and clarinet. i also sing in a choir, alto! yay!
my favourite composers... hm.. can't really say, there are a lot of them, and they're all good! i like brahms! and many more.
hm... i like musical "debates", it's not really arguing, just sharing opinions and views about different pieces.
and... ooh, i'd LOVE to learn to play cello! a cello is the most wonderful instrument! (except for piano and clarinet of course! razz )
my clarinets name is oliver, and piano doesn't really have a name...
biggrin  

[Cobalt]

Wow Marie-Cris, whoever your voice teacher was, they were very uncertain of what your voice sounded like. sweatdrop Mezzo, Coloratura and Dramatic sopranos are all totally different! Especially Mezzo, I have a hard time believing that he/she couldn't tell the difference between that or a Coloratura/Dramatic voice.

I'm a mezzo soprano, and sing alto in choir. Mezzos have heavier, richer voices, and are generally lower in range, too (though I know higher sopranos who can sing lower than me!). If you can hit high C's and above with no problems, you're not likely to be a mezzo.  

[flutopia]

My name is Holly and I play the flute and piccolo.

I'm in my high school's, Robinson Secondary School, advanced concert band. I also play in my marching band, which supposedly is nationally recognized. I am a flute/piccolo section leader in my marching band as well. 3nodding Last year I was voted as the most outstanding member in my band. I live near Washington D.C., so I get to go listen to the National Symphony Orchestra often. blaugh Living near the Kennedy Center is awesome. James Galway came last fall and about a month ago I saw the Lion King musical at the Kennedy Center.

It is really hard for me to have one specific favorite composer. I seem to especially like JS Bach, CPE Bach, Beethoven, Shostakovitch, and Holst right now. I really love the Rococo "period" (I think in IB Music they said it was only about 4 years or something).

Here is a video of my marching band in 2006. It was raining horribly but we did amazing. The Music of Gustav Holst.

My school's band website.

 

[waterstream]

Hi! I play the cello and I've been playing it for 8 years. I start college in January at a small liberal arts college, and I think I'm going to major in music, or at least keep playing in different orchestras and such just because it's so important to me. I've played in two different youth symphonies, a semi-pro community orchestra, and helped coach at a couple different music camps for middle-school age kids. So, there you go!
I'm also a huge classical music fan (surprise..! not.). My favorite composers are probably Bach, Beethoven, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, and Schubert. Maybe? I absolutely LOVE. Schumann's quintet for two cellos, especially the first movement which is . oh gosh. SO. AMAZING.
heart  

[Keakealani]

[WaffleStomper.]

Wow, I'm nothing compared to all of you. ;o

Anyways, I'm Shoku [not real name], and my primary instrument is the piano. I've been taking private lessons from one of the best schools on island for about ten years, and I'm still going. I'm the [only] oboist for my high school's concert band, I'm the drum major for my high school's marching band, and I play the flute in the Hawaii All-State Marching Band, which is due to perform in Pasadena this coming Christmas.

For a long while, I lost my interest in classical music [I'd say from seventh to nineth grade year?], but found my passion for it my sophomore year. Now, I play nothing but classical music in my piano class. I've learned that I don't progress much at all playing contemporary music. As of now, I have no favorite composers because I haven't studied enough to have a favorite.

Man is condemned to be free. ~Jean-Paul Sartre

Okay, I just have to say... I'm from Hawaii too ^^ I don't know that many band people, but... well, yeah.

But anyway, my intro.

I'm Kea, and I'm a singer. Yeah. I'm trained as a soloist, sort of, but I started my music career in my choir nine years ago, and just graduated this past season. Needless to say, it was bittersweet, but singing has really opened up the world for me. I sang in All State honour choir for all four years of high school and, as I mentioned, my choir (pimpage ftw! xD) for nine years. I really identify as a second soprano, although as a soloist I'm pretty much a true lyric.

I love singing, but I've never felt that I had any phenomenal talent in voice...I do, however, have an unabashed love affair with music theory, and I've been teaching myself everything I can find on the subject, from chord analysis to history. I had a "lightbulb" moment on music when I was around 12, and ever since I've done everything I can to learn about music.

I also quite enjoy listening to classical music - right now I'm having a particularly French phase, as I'm very into Fauré (my person sexy French musician) and Debussy. Tchaikovsky is a staple in my life, as are the big three (Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven). I've also gotten kind of into more contemporary choral music, with composers like Rene Clausen, John Rutter, and Eric Whitacre (who is really something special, I must say!). And there's a special place in my heart for Puccini opera, but honestly I've never met a person alive who doesn't love a good performance of Nessun Dorma or something. La Bohème is my favourite Puccini, though.

At any rate, I love music. I love everything about it, and I would not be surprised if it ends up being a big part of my life...

A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic. ~George Bernard Shaw

 

[Aureleid]

I'm a music performance major at Bemidji State University, but I plan on transfering to the U of M music school by next year. My major instrument is the flute, but I am also minoring in piano and voice. I've been playing the flute for close to 10 years, piano for about 6 or 7, and I just took up voice a few years ago. I do also play classical guitar but I only took like 2 years of lessons for that. But I am all about my flute. It is my passion and my life.
Right now I am in the top wind ensemble for my university, and I also play in the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, the Bemidji Youth Orchestra, and I play in a small flute ensemble. I also teach flute lessons during the summer.
It may sound kind of geeky, but I absolutely love music theory.
And my favorite composer would ahve to be Chopin. That man was brilliant!  

[Amphion]

Bassoonist here!

As for self-introduction: I managed to make it into the Repertory Orchestra level of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and as an alternate to the Senior level. I've been taking lessons for three years, but my teacher says I'm a year or two ahead of schedule; I'm doing the Milde Concert Etudes going into Junior Year of High School, which most people get to when they start college... sweatdrop

I also do a little composing here and there. I'd like to do more, but I just don't have the time!

I wouldn't mind being bassoon leader if no one else is... ninja