Knight Foundation finalists

I am very grateful to the Knight Foundation for choosing me as a finalist in the Knight Arts Challenge Detroit 2013. I am also grateful to everyone who has sent words of encouragement.

Other finalists include the Michigan Arab Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic and the Motor City Brass Band, to name just a few.

There are still a few important steps before the final decisions are made. I have to submit a longer, more detailed proposal about my idea, and fill out a budget spreadsheet (as a matter of fact, I need to get back to work on those). I will let you know more about the people's choice voting later on.

The Philip Glass Timpani Concerto

My new favorite piece of music is the Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra by Philip Glass. I have complained in the past about the preconceptions and misconceptions that keep people from enjoying music they would like very much if only they gave it a chance. Truth is, I have my own preconceptions and misconceptions. Some of them being about Philip Glass. Hypnotic at best, tiresome at worst.

And then I finally decided to give the Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra a chance. I was amazed and impressed by what I heard. This is music of ferocious energy and vitality. "Minimalist" doesn't quite seem an appropriate word to use to describe this piece, but stylistically it is undeniably a work by Philip Glass.

Also, I am reminded of David Diamond another composer I had preconceptions about. In fact, there is a little bit of a connection between Diamond's Symphony No. 1 and the Glass Concerto: they both include tubular bells in the very first measure. Perhaps there is an overture also having this characteristic; the three pieces would make an excellent concert.

The likelier proportion of Kickstarter in funding a concert

I am hardly the first to say that almost all classical music projects on Kickstarter fail. You can be a renowned musician in a world-class orchestra, your classical Kickstarter project will probably fail (I've seen that happen, it's very scary and discouraging). There is this misconception going around that Kickstarter is a miracle cure for your arts funding problems, that you just present your idea and strangers give you enough money to do it.

If you want to put on an orchestral concert and get all of your funding through Kickstarter, well, all I can say is good luck, don't come crying to me when it doesn't happen. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying it's highly unlikely. I learned the hard way a couple of years ago.

What about something smaller, like a string quartet concert? It's still very difficult. If I get to put on a string quartet concert this year (and I really, fondly hope that I can), this is quite likely where the funds will come from:

• 90% wages from a day job that has nothing to do with music
• 8% from a grant from an arts organization
• 1.9% from my classical music eBook earnings
• 0.1% from different crowd-funding websites, including Kickstarter

Something I was only vaguely aware of until yesterday when a friend posted about it on Facebook: Kickstarter projects can be rejected with no explanation whatsoever given. That hasn't happened to me, but if it does, maybe it would bother me. I'll just have to remember that getting my check docked at my day job, having my hours cut, getting laid off, etc., will have a much, much greater impact on funding my concerts than anything that happens on Kickstarter.

104 Great Symphonies book is behind schedule

Last year I expressed my desire to publish my eBook with working title 104 Great Symphonies You Have Never Heard Before by March. March is here and the book is not ready. I'm shooting for May now.