In the middle of my third year as an Associate Professor of Percussion at the Eastman School of Music, I entered into a new musical experience. On Tuesday, January 11 a new course of study at Eastman titled, “Creative Music Making,” began in its first of seven weekly 2-hour sessions through January and February. The… Read more »
MARLBORO MUSIC FESTIVAL – 60th SEASON 2010 The NEXUS Connection 1964 Little did I know in 1964, my first summer after high school, that the telephone call I received from my friend Lee Gurst would be a pivotal event in my life. Lee, who had also just graduated from high school near Philadelphia was calling… Read more »
Tuesday, January 11 – Bill’s new course, “Creative Music Making,” based on his book (Routledge, 2005) begins as part of the Arts Leadership Program begins at the Eastman School of Music -. The course will continue every Tuesday for seven weeks. Bill also begins his third year as Associate Professor of Percussion at Eastman. Thursday,… Read more »
The following interview with Robin Engelman took place in Toronto in August, 1996. This is the first time it has been published. Bill Cahn: Do you see any ‘sea’ changes or ‘environmental’ changes in the world of music happening right now. If you do can do define what they are? If you don’t can you… Read more »
Monday evening (December 13, 2010) I attended a solo recital titled, “Touch-ing” at the Showa Academy Recital Hall. It was a performance by Hideki Ikegami, a terrific marimbist and percussionist with piano accompaniment by Kanna Shibata. Hideki is about 30-years-old and was a student of Atsushi Sugahara, who was also in the audience. (Sugahara studied… Read more »
As I write this, I’m listening to “The Messiah” being discussed on Japanese television while it’s performed by a Japanese chorus, Japanese vocal soloists, and Japanese musicians playing on period instruments, including timpani (with wooden mallets) that are very much like the hand-tuned drums I saw earlier today (more about the hand-tuned timps in a… Read more »
It’s Saturday and the first week of my residency at Showa is coming to an end. On this visit I have definitely noticed a higher level of performance, both in the private lessons and in the ensemble rehearsals and concerts. There have been 19 private lessons, most with a focus on solo multi-perc pieces, but… Read more »
I’m in Japan again for the third time in 2010 for my 2-week teaching residency at the Showa Academy of Music. I finally arrived at my hotel room in Kawasaki at 5:30 AM Rochester time – exactly 25-1/2-hours after waking up at home. The flights from Rochester and JFK were smooth and uneventful. This… Read more »
The following interview with Bob Becker took place on July 30, 1996. This is the first time it has been published. Bill Cahn: Do you see any “sea changes” happening now and if so what would you say they are and what are their characteristics?
The following interview with Russell Hartenberger took place in two sessions: first in Toronto in August, 1996 and the second in Ottawa on January 10, 1998. This is the first time it has been published. Bill Cahn: Let’s begin by addressing the issue of art being in service to something – in other words, art… Read more »
For the fifth time since May 2010, I made the 5-hour drive from my house to Garry Kvistad’s home to perform in the Woodstock, NY area – this time with NEXUS in the Quimby Theater at the State University of New York in Ulster County. The concert by NEXUS on November 20 was be the… Read more »
This blog posting starts in the 20th century – 1959 to be exact. That was the year I entered the 8th grade and had my first drum lesson with a real drum teacher. His name was Joseph Huttlin, and he came from a family lineage of rudimental drummers. He visited my school for one afternoon… Read more »
September 10, 2010 – Hyogo Performing Arts Center (all photos by Yasuhiro Ishino)
Genesee Symphony Orchestra conductor Raffaele Ponti (on the right) poses with two orchestra guests at the GSO’s season-opening October 24 concert. At left is composer Bill Cahn, whose piece, “Rosewood Dreaming,” was performed on the concert. Melzie Case (center) was the featured soloist, performing Cahn’s piece on marimba. She was the winner of the… Read more »
I’m home again after a 12-hour straight-shot drive from Pembroke, North Carolina that included about 20-minutes of dead-stop traffic on the Washington, D.C. Beltway during the 5:00 rush hour. I was at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke as a guest artist in residence at the invitation of Dr. Tracy Wiggins, the UNCP coordinator… Read more »
