Jean-Francois Charles

On September 14th, during the Journées du patrimoine , we met with professors from the Brest conservatory in Rue Saint-Malo . The non-profit organization Vivre la rue had organized a nice festival there. Many thanks to saxophonist Xavier, who took a few shot with his phone. Here they are, featuring Nikolaz Cadoret (electro-acoustic harp & live electronics), François Lucas (biniou, oboe, and other instruments), Stéphane Sordet (saxophone) - I was playing clarinet & live electronics.

Announcement, announcement! I invite you to participate in a back2school contest - a musical & scientific one! The question In the following video, artist Rico Loop is beat-boxing and playing bass, melodica, as well as a water bottle . The question is: How much water does Rico Loop drink each time he changes pitch? At 0:19, he blows a pitch without looping it. Then, he loops sounds at 0:23, 0:40, 0:53, and 1:02, when he's done drinking. So, you are looking for 4 quantities of water. You may give your answers as proportions instead of absolute values. Prize I will be offering a special prize to the person coming up with the best answer - and explanations, of course! Please, e-mail me your answers, or post a comment. I'm going to give a few hints in the next couple of weeks... Stay tuned.

My friend Michael Heller , a great musician whom I met at the Harvard Music Department , led in 2011-2012 an exciting year with the Dudley House Jazz Band. I already told you about his 2010 project around Mary Lou Williams' music ; he went further in 2011-12 when he invited Dave Liebman and Lewis Porter to perform with the band in Paine Hall. Michael released videos of the concert. Here is a favorite, Hiroshima Memorial : Creation Creation lied at the core of this artistic project, with improvisation, creative arrangements, and the world première of a concerto for Dave Liebman and symphonic orchestra, composed by Lewis Porter in what we could call the Third Stream tradition of mixing genres. An excerpt from the program, where composer Lewis Porter presents his Liebman concerto .

For the third consecutive year, Sing for Hope is making music available in the city of New York by placing 88 pianos in parks & public spaces. This operation is a great way to get everyone engaged with the arts: the pianos are designed / re-designed by artists, musicians come and give impromptu concerts, and essential point: yes, you can play the piano! picture from the Sing for Hope galleries Today, June 16th, is the last day of the 2013 edition: all of the pianos are meeting outside Lincoln Center, then will be donated to schools, healthcare centers & community organizations. Most important: the pianos will continue to bring people together throughout the year through performances, workshops, and more. See more picture on this New York Times Slideshow .

After the anagrams & first sketch for the composition Relative , here is the score: Axelle and Théophile, two singers at the Montbéliard Conservatory, are performing the piece this Saturday afternoon. During the rehearsal yesterday night, I liked a lot how they seamlessly integrated the "live electronics" and the singing. This miniature constitutes a small part of their exam recital: I wish them all the best.

Picture by leniners I'm thrilled to let you know that, after spending wonderful time at the Montbéliard Conservatory , I just took a new position at the Brest Conservatory. Read here a short welcome interview (French only). Bretagne is filled with inspiring landscapes. Last week-end, I walked around the Kermorvan peninsula: Picture by y.caradec

Maria Guerrero studied at the Royal Ballet School in London , then had a career as a dancer, a choreographer, and a maître de ballet. I have been delighted to study ballet at her school, the Ballet Studio Guerrero , since October 2010. She is a great ballet teacher, anchored in the tradition, both very demanding and respectful with all students. The show At the end of April, Maria organized a show at La Coupole , a beautiful theater house in Saint-Louis, France. Dancing on a professionally equipped stage is such a fundamental experience for all dancers: it's necessary from a pedagogical point of view, and it is a lot of fun as well. Here is an excerpt of a piece Maria Guerrero choreographed for this show: Amazon.com Widgets