Weekly Update

Hello friends, family, loved ones, and internet stalkers! I have decided that it would be best for me to limit myself to a once-weekly update of this blog. I simply do not have the time to update it more frequently.

Anyway, now that the nasty bit of legislative business is out of the way, let's have a quick recap of my quite eventful week, presented in a way that is reminiscent of Bob Costas doing Olympic highlights. Now THERE'S a good man.

• Monday night we had our first Composer's Forum, featuring the works of 7 outstanding student composers here at U-M. I was not featured this time, I will be next time, but rather I upheld my duties as a member of the Forum Planning Committee and acted as stage crew for the event. It was highly succesful; I was even able to persuade my non-musician roommate to attend (it was his first new music experience...he wasn't too shaken up by it, I'm happy to report).
• Wednesday I had my first appointment with the cardiology department at the University Hospital in their brand-spankin'-new Cardiovascular Center. I consequently received 5 referrals to other departments to try and get me healthy for a change. All is well, and we will take things as they come, and try and gain some forward momentum as far as improving my health is concerned.
  Also on Wednesday, I was given the opportunity by my Slavic professor (I'm taking a class on the "Magic of Prague" that satisfies the first year writing requirement for freshmen) to present the music of Smetana, a Czech composer, to the class. I did a short oral presentation, accompanied by a slideshow of some pictures, and played some excerpts from his nationalistic symphonic cycle "Ma Vlast," from which the famous "Vltava (Die Moldau)" is taken. We were talking about the river and how it relates to the city, the rock of Vsyehrad as it related to legend and history, and also how nationalism flourished in the late 1800s...so "Ma Vlast" fit the bill perfectly. And since he was not a musician, he asked me, as a composer, theorist, and musicology-enthusiast to take the reigns. It was so well received and appreciated that I was invited to do another presentation of modern Czech music as we approach the WWII era; perhaps the music of Martinu. What fun, and how exciting to gain the experience!
• Thursday I had a few appointments to take care of some paperwork and other miscellaneous things. Gotta gitterdone sometime.
• Today I did nothing of consequence. I will be finishing my entries for the IMEA Composition Contest this weekend and mailing them out, as well as a few entries for miscellaneous competitions.

Well, that's about it. "Commentating the Classics," my humor podcast is up to THREE episodes now, availabe on iTunes. The fourth is currently in production. It is getting RAVE reviews and I hope you'll help promote it by spreading the word. Thanks! Have a good night.

Always remember: "I am the satisfier."