Bilthoven, not Utrecht :)
Dennis Bathory-Kitsz wrote:
Hi everyone,
We already talked briefly about this project here on the Finale list, but
here is the official launch announcement I just posted to the Orchestra
list. I'd be delighted if you could pass this along. Just 345 more
commissions to go. :)
===
Today is the official launch of my 365-day composition project called "We
Are All Mozart".
By publicly finishing a composition every day, I hope to help the
visibility of a field that seldom demands that its composers work hard,
daily, on deadline, and on spec. We're not perceived as real workers (if
we're perceived at all), as people making a meaningful contribution to life
and commerce and society.
The 365-day project is an idea I've had for years. We've talked on this
list about the stresses of composing in an era when it's such a
very-part-time activity, eclipsed by day jobs and self-marketing. Outside
of the film world, few of us have daily deadlines for compositions or
movements or songs or even sketches. We are largely self-motivated, with
long-term grants and commissions.
By demanding that I complete (not write in entirety, but complete) one
piece every day for a full year on someone else's terms, I hope to
highlight something I believe we need to restore -- the regular, continual
and frequent purchase and presentation of new pieces. I imagine new music
everywhere, whether for art or utility or entertainment.
Some of you may not like the idea. You may feel it's a gimmick, but it
isn't. You might expect me to fail at this project, though I don't think I
will. Sure, I may not wake up with fresh ideas every day, and the pieces
will be variable. We shall see. But realizing how many compositions were
possible in the past for composers who had the chance to do it -- who were
*expected* to do it -- I figured the time was now, as I still have some
wits about me.
My colleagues are mostly composers, and I need to say that this is not a
self-promotional competition with them. Indeed, if the idea sounds good to
folks on this list, I'm more than happy to see them commissioned instead of
me ... though the idea is to fill my calendar so the craziness of this
project can get us all media attention and new audiences, and maybe even
some notoriety.
Of course, to do this, pieces need to be paid for. The price is very
reasonable. Since I began talking about this informally last month, 20
pieces have been requested from performers in Vermont, New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Colorado, Montreal, Amsterdam, Utrecht
and Prague.
If you are someone who is in the position to "shop" for music, please
consider being part of this project. The dedicated web page is
http://maltedmedia.com/people/bathory/365-2007.html
Thanks for reading,
Dennis
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