Find some fun thoughts and listicles on all things music. Posts are contributed by staff
and friends of the Philharmonic.
The Snowman: A Family Tradition
Before Ana asked Elsa if she wanted to build a snowman in Disney’s Frozen, Raymond Briggs invited his readers to do the same. Briggs released his classic wordless book The Snowman in 1978 and it was adapted into a cartoon in 1982. The Snowman book and movie have been a constant presence in my family’s life. I can’t remember the first winter that I learned of the story, but in my mind, it has always been there.
Homegrown: Scott Robbins
“My mission is to get people to make music an important facet of their lives, no matter whose music that may be, nor how that music may be experienced.”
Homegrown: Holt McCarley
He has scored two independent film projects in Kansas City, as well as a number of film projects with rising filmmakers through the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Homegrown: Ernst Bacon (1898-1990)
"Bacon, like Copland and Ives, wrote music whose breath smelled American. His output is witty, honest, and always entertaining."
- Syracuse Post Standard
Homegrown: Pedro Sanjuán (1886-1976)
Sanjuán’s career later took him to Havana, Cuba, where he founded and conducted the Havana Philharmonic. His composition pupils included Cuban composers such as Roldán and Caturla.
Homegrown: Carrie Leigh Page
“I start with a cell that's interesting. I have a great love for language, and many of my rhythms and melodic motives come from speech: little snippets of poetry, a moment in an overheard conversation, a phrase from a prayer or hymn. I transcribe how it sounds, then I start to play with it.”
Homegrown: John Moody
Over the years, he has become a quintessential part of the music education community in Spartanburg.
Homegrown: Tristan Willcox
His love for the piano began when he was 7 years old. By the time he was 11, he had written his first work for solo piano.
Homegrown Composer: Peter B. Kay
In addition to his work as a composer, Peter is also a music educator and advocate for composers.