Comments

I just did something I hate - I deleted someone's comment. I deleted it because I didn't know whether it was spam or a legitimate comment. It was in a language I do not speak or understand. From here on out, here are the rules for comments:

1) please write them in English if possible

2) if not possible, then write them in German, French, Italian, or Spanish

3) if none of that is possible, please get someone to translate for you

4) if a comment is in a language other than those listed above, it will be deleted

Thank you, and I'm sorry for deleting that comment. It killed me to do it, but we have to make sure we're all playing by the same rules. Whoever wrote it, feel free to do so again in English.

How cool is this?

So here I am, arranging Jonathan Coulton's "You Ruined Everything" for Tweetheart. I have to connect Bjork's "Cover Me", which Grayson Sanders is arranging, to the Coulton...somehow. I'm thinking about re-arranging the order of the program, because the "Gloria Patri" by Monteverdi fits in beautifully between Bjork and Coulton. It's also excerpted from the Magnificat of Monteverdi's Vespers of the Virgin Mary, which - for those of you not up on your Catholic liturgy - is all about Mary thanking God for her son, Jesus. Since "You Ruined Everything" celebrates the love of a parent for his child, it seems wholly appropriate to pair the two together. And Bjork's "Cover Me" seems to me to be an exhortation from one lover to another to prepare for the beauty and wonders (and dangers) of the unknown. Being a recent father myself, it's easy for me to experience that song and think back to the days just before my daughter was born. Not that Bjork was intending that to be the meaning, but - like all great works of art - it can mean something different to each observer.

To me, this is part of the joy of Sympho: to have a forum where these totally different works from different ages and cultures can bounce off each other, and where we can contextualize great art using far broader parameters than those to which we have become accustomed.

Emeline Michel

I've just finished working with Emeline Michel - an incredibly rewarding experience. She and I had a session at her apartment (we are neighbors, it turns out!) where she serenaded me with Haitian songs, both old and new. We decided which ones would be perfect for Tweetheart, and I recorded them on Garage Band (plug for Apple!). Even using the built-in mic, it sounds phenomenal. Such an unbelievable time. She sang about Haitian "boat people", neighbors who sing out invective against their neighbors (not to their faces, but to the wind, which they hope will carry the message to the rightful recipient...), and old voodoo priests explaining mysteries. Hard to summarize in a post, but I hope you get a sense of the magical time we shared. To get more of a sense, come to Tweetheart! There you'll hear the songs we chose, sung by the incomparable Emeline Michel - one of the great living Haitian artists.

Tweetheart Tickets on Sale

Tickets for Sympho's Tweetheart concert (NYC on May 22) go on sale today at 12 noon Eastern Time. Click here to purchase.

Caveat

To our readership: one thing about creating Sympho concerts is that it gets crazy during the process. I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date as we go, but please be understanding if there are holes in the communication. First priority has to be creating the work! All of us can't wait to share Tweetheart with you on May 22.

Tweetheart: The Game Plan

A brief update - I've been working with composers Wynne Bennett, Paul Fowler, and Grayson Sanders to figure out exactly how to "create the flow" of Tweetheart. Each of us are taking a love song (winners of our social networking contest earlier in January 2010) and creating an orchestral arrangement. We'll also each create original works for the concert, based on one or more aspects of the concept of love. Then - as if that weren't enough - we'll work together to create material that connects all of the pieces together. The result will be an eclectic yet organic experience, one we're all very excited to hear (and perform!).

Upcoming "Tweetheart" Concert

Sympho unveils its newest concert concept on May 22, 2010 in New York City.

In a collaborative spirit, Sympho is teaming up with multimedia dream team Aytia | Matia, as well as a group of stellar artists and singers, to present the premiere of "Tweetheart". Singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton and Haitian pop star Emeline Michel to perform cameos.

Paul Haas | Artistic Director and Conductor -- Wynne Bennett, Paul Fowler, and Grayson Sanders | Composers -- SymphoNYC | Orchestra -- Aytia Matia | Lighting and Video Design

An evening unlike any other - blending art, music, and space. A limited number of tickets will go on sale in the near future. Stay tuned for more information.