San Francisco Symphony, Outwater / Davis, Robertello / Tate
|
20 Mar 2008
|
Backstage Pass
Jerod Tate (Composer)
How often does a composer get to record an album with his own college-mates and the San Francisco Symphony, supported by his own tribe? That would be approximately once in a lifetime. Christine Bailey Davis (flute soloist) and Alan Bise (producer) and myself are graduates from the Cleveland Institute of Music. The orchestra also has CIM graduates, including Ben Freimuth, the bass clarinetist on the recording. I mention him because I literally dreamed about Ben playing these very bass clarinet solos someday, somehow. I had no clue it would come about like this. Edwin Outwater was a dream conductor. Thomas Robertello, a previous instructor at CIM, played a gorgeous bass flute.
I am proud to say that this project is an achievement of a young group of musicians, and demonstrates the ongoing passion humans have, and will continue to have, for classical music. Classical music is alive and well, and has a rich vibrant future ahead of it. So much, that my own tribe, the Chickasaw Nation offered its full commitment. In fact, it is only part of a long list of artistic projects the tribe has achieved: including a new full-length play, several series of artistic commissions and full-length feature films. We even have our own tribally supported summer arts academy.
I am passionate about expression through composition and it is my hope that people are energized by this recording. Thanks to Christine Bailey Davis and the National Symphony Orchestra for commissioning these works. Thank you MTT, the SFS and SFS Chorus for allowing us to descend upon you for a few days. It was an absolute pleasure!!
Yakkookay!