On this blog I could pretend we worked together great 100% of the time but that would obviously be lying and journalists generally try to stay away from that. Tonight honestly was not a good or a fun rehearsal and I think everyone left a lot more down than they’d come in.
The good thing about the practice was that 89.5 FM’s Lilly Gibson came to record our songs and some interviews for the station’s Saturday Matinee program. It was great to receive the press but we also felt pressure from a recording to air on public radio.
The great thing about this ensemble is that we’re open and discussion is encouraged. Patrick doesn’t sugar coat anything for us and I feel like I could tell him about any problems I have, giving it right back. That’s why I can talk about our rehearsal in this post. Patrick can get very emotional when we’re performing under our potential and though I felt uncomfortable and stressed out while he confronted the ensemble, he made it clear that it’s because he cares about us so much and wants us to think of ourselves as much more than amateurs.
This is the reason why we can be honest and talk out our thoughts and feelings when we need to. It’s because music involves the internal heart and brain as well as the external limbs and lips. It’s because we come every week, make a commitment to the group and strive to do more than play the notes on the page.
The source of our stress is also the source of our joy–the performance– and I think we should remember that, especially coming into next week’s rehearsals.
I wore my Star Trek: The Symphonic Frontier shirt yesterday into a costume store and an employee there got so excited when she saw it and heard about our concert. I hope we think about all those people who have grown up watching Star Trek and light up with joy at the thought of this concert. I hope we think of these people not only when they’re right in front of us, but when we’re tired at the end of rehearsal and don’t feel like giving everything to the music.
Well folks,the countdown is on (10 Days!) until the Austin Wind Symphony blasts its way into the Final Frontier! On-board this time around as host and narrator is Captain Jim Kipping! The concert marks is his second time in the role of emcee as he last joined the ensemble in 2007 for their “Epics” concert.
As rehearsals become more and more hectic, Patrick Phillips, AWS conductor had this to say about Kipping… “He’s a big music nut himself, and has a unique ability to engage the audience… When he’s up there at the microphone the only thing I have to worry about is the music, the rest comes naturally.”
Shelly Eager, AWS Vice President, and Phillips recently paid a visited the KLBJ studio where Kipping works, and received a thorough tour of the Emmis Communications station learning in detail Jim’s daily routine.
While you may not know what he looks like… Chances are you’ll NEVER forget his amazing voice! He’s voiced everything from Pizza Hut commercials, and Geraldo at Large, to FOX news and thousands of other famous company’s including the spokesperson for NETFLIX.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to meet the man behind the voice on Friday October 24th, @ 8pm as the Austin Wind Symphony BOLDLY GOES into “Star Trek: The Symphonic Frontier”
AWS Conductor Patrick Phillips and VP Shelly Eager with Jim Kipping
If you haven’t listened to Patrick’s interview with Gerald Fried or other Behind the Score interviews, it’s well worth listening to, both for entertainment and to understand the ideas behind the creation of movie scores. Gerald Fried composed Amok Time, one of the pieces we’ll be playing in the upcoming concert.
The great thing about playing movie and television music is that most of the composers are still alive and we can learn the stories and the concepts behind the pieces. We may never know what the classical composers such as Tchaikovsky and Beethoven were thinking, but with music such as Amok Time, our conductor can actually talk to and connect with the person who created the music, and that’s pretty amazing to me.
And if you’ve never seen the iconic scene Gerald Fried wrote the piece for, you can get some context here.
If you’re a Heroes fan, yesterday was a national holiday, filled with the long-awaited first two episodes of season three. The addicting show, based on the style of graphic novels, has reached soaring popularity and follows the lives of the good, the bad and the ugly of super power world. Though season 2 was interrupted like most primetime by the writer strikes, the new installment, subtitled Heroes & Villians is now in full swing.
Though George Takei appeared only in video form in this episode, the Star Trek veteran made a good run on Heroes through the last of the first season into the second. And the nature of the show tells me we might be seeing more of him in season three. Takei plays Hiro’s mysterious and powerful father Kaito Nakamura, CEO of Yamagato industries in Japan. It seems Takei can’t get away from his Star Trek days as Mr. Sulu on the USS Enterprise; Hiro’s character is a huge Star Trek fan and Nakamura’s limo in his first appearance has a license plate reading NCC-1701, the model of the Enterprise.
[I love the pictures you can find on the Internet. From blog Bitten & Bound.]
Takei also made news recently for his personal life. After announcing this summer that he would marry his 21-year partner Brad Altman, they tied the knot on September 14 in Los Angeles, following the overturn of the gay marriage ban in California.
You can watch episodes featuring Takei and many others here.
Though you’ve probably noticed, the feed on the blog, the Austin Wind Symphony now has its very own twitter, so we can keep members and supporters of the group updated instantly on what we’re doing.
I’m a journalism student, so news, blogging and constant updates are inherent in my daily life, but many people aren’t quite used to all this new media yet. AWS has set these up, in addition to Myspace networking to reach out to our audience and members and make them feel more connected. Instead of receiving information from just a faceless web site, you can get a feel for our personalities and our human sides.
This is a huge theme in Star Trek as well. The show isn’t just a sci-fi show about different species, it’s about their “human” element as well, their emotions, experiences and relationships. That’s what makes the show so relevant and important to so many fans, whether they be costume-wearing trekkies or casual viewers of episodes on Spike.
[I just found this picture online. A little bit too much relationship going on?]
So make a comment, friend us on Myspace, follow us on Twitter and stay connected. That’s our goal and it’s why we’re not just a community band.
Our upcoming concert, “Star Trek: the Symphonic Frontier” (October 24th, 2008) is an opportunity for everyone to understand and embrace diversity and inclusion in our community. Diversity covers race, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, physical ability, and so much more. It is the differences that make each of us unique. The Austin Wind Symphony realizes that individuals have unique contributions and differences, but most of us are more alike than different.
Austin Wind Symphony members are rich in our diversity of thinking, perspectives, backgrounds, and culture. Our diversity (as well as talent) nurtures our ensemble’s innovative spirit. Being the music capital, Austin has provided us a rich resource pool of diverse, talented musicians. Our conductor has acknowledged our differences and is using them in a positive way. He recognizes the power of the mix; there is a strength that results from diversity, and we want you to experience it with us.
The concert on October 24 is our chance to recognize and acknowledge differences and similarities and show you how magic happens. If various species across the galaxies can get together to make great Star Trek movies and shows, we can get together to make not only a great concert, but also a great opportunity for Austin’s “species” to get together.
Don’t miss it. We look forward to seeing you in costume at 8:00pm. (3701 Slaughter Lane W., Austin Texas 78745)
Find us online: http://www.austinwindsymphony.org
.: Read more about Star Trek’s Diverse Universe Here: http://www.foundationnews.org/CME/article.cfm?ID=3054
Austin Wind Symphony Boldly Goes into “Star Trek: The Symphonic Frontier”, October 24
Netflix voice over Artist Jim Kipping narrates concert featuring music from Star Trek
Austin, TX. (September 9, 2008) – Local Austin “Trekkies” will be in for a real Sci-Fi treat when Conductor Patrick Phillips leads the Austin Wind Symphony in iconic works from the legacy of Star Trek October 24 at Bethany Lutheran Church in South Austin. The concert, dedicated in memory of composer Alexander Courage will feature synchronized visuals, sound effects, and an original story crafted in order to “engage” the audience.
The AWS will perform some of STAR TREK’S most memorable music, including Alexander Courage’s classic theme from the original television series, as well as multi-Emmy Award winner Jerry Goldsmith’s majestic End Titles from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the regal theme for Star Trek: Voyager. The concert will also feature works by Jay Chattaway (The Inner Light), Dennis McCarthy (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Star Trek: Generations) Leonard Rosenman (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) and James Horner (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan).
Designed to appeal directly to the Star Trek fan base (and in celebration of Halloween) all of the volunteer orchestra’s 50 members will be dressed as either Star Trek crew members or other alien races. AWS Audiences are also encouraged to “dress the part.”
COMPLETE PROGRAM INFORMATION
”Star Trek: The Symphonic Frontier”
Friday, October 24, 2008 – 8pm
Patrick Phillips, conductor
Jim Kipping, narrator
Alexander Courage: Main Title from Star Trek (Arr. Ted Vives)
Gerald Fried: Suite from Amok Time (Arr. Ted Vives)
Ray Ellis: Star Trek The Animated Series
Jerry Goldsmith: Star Trek The Motion Picture
James Horner: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Leonard Rosenman: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Dennis McCarthy: Star Trek Generations
Jay Chattaway: The Inner Light
Jerry Goldsmith: Star Trek First Contact
Jerry Goldsmith: Star Trek Voyager
Various: Star Trek Through the Years
Tickets for this concert are $8 (per individual) and will be available at the door the night of the concert, or at http://www.austinwindsymphony.org
The Austin Wind Symphony in Rehearsals at Bethany Lutheran Church
The Austin Wind Symphony is a 501(c) 3 organization and exists purely from generous donations.
This week I experienced something magical during rehearsal, and no, it wasn’t because of the beefy cheesy burrito I ate earlier. While playing Star Trek: The Next Generation, a slow part wasn’t being played dramatically enough. Patrick took a minute to describe the actual scene in the series. Captain Picard, a man who rarely shows emotion, enters the Nexus, which is a “temporal phenomenon” which transforms dreams and desires into temporary reality. Picard, who has no more chance of a family dreams that he married Antonia, the woman he wanted to marry but didn’t. In the Nexus he lived with his wife, dog and five children in a log cabin. The rarely emotional captain cries in this beautiful temporary reality.
After Patrick described this scene, we played the section of the piece again, this time with much more feeling, because at least for me, I know I imagined this picture in my head.
Another thing that was mentioned during rehearsal was the death of Don LaFontaine, voiceover extraordinaire. Over 40 years he filmed over 5000 trailers, including some of AWS’s promotions. We’ll miss his voice, his charisma and that mustache.
We played an arrangement this week from Star Trek: First Contact, the 1996 movie and one of the few I’ve actually seen, in which Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and crew must thwart the Borgs yet another time in order to save the human race and even the crew from Borg assimilation. This movie is unique in its abundance of human interaction, and the piece we’re playing has the most emotion and “human” element of our songs.
Something Patrick said this week stood out in my mind. He said that it was amazing how many variations on the same theme we play and how different each of them are. Despite my parents’ addiction to sci-fi, I could really never get into the episodes or movies more than occasionally, but now I hum the theme waiting for my bus and I actually want to watch some of the famous episodes to know what everyone else is talking around nachos at Applebee’s. Just more proof that music makes the movies.
The Austin Wind Symphony is wiping the dust and rust off their instruments and getting off their couches and into their chairs, because it’s concert season again. Our first practice was Tuesday, August 12th, in preparation for our Star Trek concert.
Being a percussionist, I’m always really impressed with how well band members can sightread. I’ve had to sightread some mallet parts but usually it’s just rhythms. But the clarinets and flutes are trilling, the strings are going crazy and the brass are pumping notes out. They’re not all right of course, but I have to say that the music we played sounded pretty great for first runs and I think we all left feeling good about it.
And in the spirit of this concert, one of our members recently came back from a vacation in Las Vegas, where she visited the Star Trek Experience in the Hilton. My parents, hardcore sci-fi fans also visited this exhibit on our family trip, though they didn’t dress up, but I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome. Unfortunately it’s about to close on September 1st after 10 years to make way for a Michael Jackson….thing. I think we need a protest. Until next week, live long, prosper and practice.
