Kickstarter

Dearest Kickstarter-Brevard supporters:

I am thrilled and so grateful to be sending this Kickstarter update from my new home in Austin, Texas. I've completed my first semester at UT-Austin, and am really overwhelmed (in a good way!) by all of the opportunities that the University has to offer. 

The purpose for this update is to let you know about an exciting performance of a piece I composed at Brevard Music Center - SPELLBOUND for large chamber ensemble. It will be performed by the UT New Music Ensemble and conducted by DMA student Ben Stonaker. The concert will be streamed live Monday 2/18 (today) at 7:30pm Central Time at this site: http://music.utexas.edu/calendar/details.aspx?id=23299

About SPELLBOUND:

I began composing Spellbound during my final semester of composition study at University of Oregon, and the piece was completed and given a world premiere by the ITCH Ensemble while I was in residence at the Brevard Music Center Composition Institute this past summer.

When it came time for me to leave the place I called home for six years, and begin graduate study at The University of Texas, I found myself entranced by the natural beauty that surrounded me. Whether it was a tree that I passed each day on my walk to school or an orange-hued sunset, everything seemed more beautiful because I knew that in a short time, my surroundings would be different—and with that, I would be immersed in an entirely new environment.

Spellbound aims to invite the listener into a sound world that exists not as a musical narrative, but as rather as a musical "state of being,” to reflect on life transitions and the excitement that accompanies a new beginning.

About the NME:

The UT New Music Ensemble, under the direction of Professor Dan Welcher, is widely regarded as one of the best student ensembles of its kind in the USA. Featuring solo, chamber and large ensemble works by living composers and those of the recent past, UTNME presents six full-length concerts annually of new chamber music composed primarily within the past 20 years.

This unique group consists of a sixteen member core ensemble, and is made up of the most proficient student instrumentalists and singers in the Butler School of Music. 

Since the inception of the Visiting Composers Series in 1995, the ensemble has featured works of world-class guest composers every year, who also present an open forum on their works and give master classes to students in the Composition Department. Recent Visiting Composers have included John Adams, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Michael Daugherty, David Del Tredici, John Harbison, Christopher Theofinidis, George Tsontakis, Augusta Read Thomas, Michael Torke, Joan Tower and Chen Yi. In addition, works by faculty composers Donald Grantham, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Russell Pinkston and Dan Welcher are performed regularly, as well as music composed by the leading living composers (and most prominent twentieth century composers). Finally, it has been one of the hallmarks of UTNME to present the world premiere of a student composition on every concert, giving the composition students a rare and extremely valuable opportunity.

The UT New Music Ensemble has been called "the best hidden treasure in Austin's classical music scene" (Austin Chronicle), and performances by the Ensemble have won "Best Performance of a New Work" awards from the Austin Critics' Table on several occasions.

I send with this note my deepest gratitude for your contribution to my Kickstarter campaign! It was such an honor to attend the festival, and to collaborate with fantastic musicians and composers throughout the composition of this piece. 

Please enjoy, and I wish you the best for your week!

Sincerely,
Brandon Rumsey

Hello friends,

Thank you so much for your investment. I am looking forward to assembling your rewards for backing! Following the Kickstarter project's duration (9 days left!), I will send out a survey requesting specific information regarding your rewards. 

In order to share a small piece of my new work with you, I've created an MP3 recording of the first 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the piece. It is still Untitled—I always have such a rough time naming pieces! 

Please pardon the crummy quality of the MIDI file, these are electronic instruments and the final product will sound quite different. However, it should give you a rough idea of the beginning of the work.

Enjoy your week, and thank you so much for your support. Please continue to share this project with friends and family.

Creatively yours,

Brandon Rumsey