Nature is a huge inspiration to me. I love being out in it, and I love incorporating it into my own music. Nature is a driving force in my album A Million Skies, and I can’t wait to share that story with you over the next few weeks (as I release the videos on YouTube). With that […]
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One of my favorite things about our local classical radio station is that it always introduces me to new (sometimes obscure) works and composers. This leads me to today’s topic: Polish pianist and composer Zygmunt Stojowski (1870-1946). I heard one of his piano concertos on the radio and was hooked from the start of its […]
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Happy Friday! To celebrate, I have just released a new album called A Million Skies! You can stream/download it on Spotify, Apple Music (iTunes), Google Play, Amazon Music, and pretty much any other streaming service. About A Million Skies A Million Skies (the album) was first realized as a track called A Million Skies that I composed back in the summer of 2018: And […]
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Today let’s talk about a practice skill that is often underutilized and overdramatized: ear training. Many musicians are intimidated when it comes to developing their sense of inner pitch, so they avoid including it in their daily practicing. But ear training does not have to be difficult or scary. Let’s talk about why it is […]
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Way back when I first started this blog, I was learning a piano solo called Pavane for a Dead Princess (or Pavane pour une infante défunte) by French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). I wrote a blog post discussing the history of the work, and before you read this post you should check that out: Since then, I have recorded and posted on […]
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Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is one of today’s most recognizable – and influential – Christmas works. The ballet has an interesting history, though – one that began four years before its premiere. Background How Sleeping Beauty’s Success Led to The Nutcracker In 1888, Ivan Vsevolozhsky (Director of the Imperial Theaters, an opera and ballet theater in St. […]
Read MoreThe last track on my album Christmas Piano is an arrangement of the beloved carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And because this is my husband’s favorite Christmas song, I wanted to make the arrangement extra special. Check out the sheet music here: A Brief Recap You might remember that O Come, O Come, Emmanual had its origins in 9th […]
Read MoreTo kick off December’s first blog post, here is my piano arrangement of The First Noel: You can find the sheet music here: I’ve already talked about the history of this beautiful Christmas carol; check that post out here: Now I want to share a funny story with you about my arrangement of The First Noel. Back […]
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In the nativity story, angels play an integral part in the proclamation of Baby Jesus’s birth. So today let’s listen to some Christmas music inspired by those heavenly messengers. There are many Christmas carols about angels, two of which are the most popular: Angels We Have Heard on High and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Check out my […]
Read MoreAs part of Christmas this year, I wanted to compose an original piano piece that captured the wonder and awe of the season. With that in mind, please enjoy Mary’s Alleluia: If you like it, check out the sheet music here: This work is special to me. After being inspired to create the main theme, I […]
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