The “Muse Room” is the room in my house where I make music and my wife makes visual art. Published the first Monday of the month, each issue of Letters from the Muse Room will include news and updates about my music, as well as something that has inspired me creatively over the past month.
Dear friends,
Welcome to the first-ever edition of Letters from the Muse Room! I’m excited to launch this newsletter and for you to come along for the ride.
What’s the “Muse Room”?
The Muse Room is the room in my house where I make music and my wife makes visual art — more than just a “music room” (though not less!). My desk has a computer, a pair of speakers, usually a couple of sheets of manuscript paper and almost always a cup of tea.
So what have you been up to? You haven’t emailed us in ages.
I know… sorry! But this time will be different, I promise!
Here’s a snapshot of some things that happened in 2018:
• I wrote a piece for singer/songwriter and chorus with Melanie Penn, called A Journey of Becoming, which she performed with Tyler Wigglesworth’s West Covina High School choirs in California and New York City — one movement of which was performed in Carnegie Hall!
• My piano piece Five Scenes won first prize in the Belvedere Chamber Music Festival Composition Contest, and I got to visit Memphis, attend the festival and hear my piece performed by the wonderful pianist Perry Mears!
• My wife and I had a second baby!
So what’s next?
I have some compositions on tap I’m excited to work on in 2019, including a piece for speaking chorus (no pitches, just speaking and sound effects!), an orchestral piece, and a couple of other possibilities. I’ll be setting up an official self-publishing company to sell scores from my website, and working toward securing further performances of my music. (If you’re interested in performing my music, reply to this email and let me know!) And I’ll be publishing monthly Letters from the Muse Room to keep you posted and share something that has inspired me creatively over the past month.
Yeah, what’s that about?
I wanted to share something with you each month besides just what’s happening with my music — something that’s sparked inspiration in me, whether it’s someone else’s music, a painting, a story, or something completely outside the arts. Something I could show you and say “Hey, this is cool — you should check it out.”
So what inspired you this last month?
Actually, I was inspired to recreate my email newsletter by the email newsletter of another composer. I first learned about Dale Trumbore when my choral piece A Magic Like Thee was chosen by The Singers in St. Paul, Minnesota as a winner of their composition competition; she was another of the winners. I didn’t get to meet her, unfortunately, as I had another premiere on the night of their performance. But I started to follow her online, and since then she’s become one of my best examples to follow for promoting music online and connecting with an audience. Her monthly email newsletter is called poempiecepost; every month she shares a poem (she’s primarily a choral composer), a recording of a piece of hers, and a post — an essay or blog post that she’s written. It’s an excellent format, always interesting, and I always look forward to receiving the next poempiecepost. If you like choral music, I highly recommend giving her a follow!
daletrumbore.com
twitter.com/daletrumbore
To sign up for poempiecepost: poempiecepost.com
Peace,
AJ Harbison
I’m excited to announce that I will be performing again at Paper Birch Landing on Sunday, April 23! The event is called “We Are Family” and will showcase artists and performers from shows in 2016.
What: We Are Family Members Art Showcase
When: Sunday, April 23, 11 am to 5 pm (I’ll be performing between 2 pm and 5 pm)
Where: Paper Birch Landing, 3740 Broadway Suite 300, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
Check out the Facebook event and RSVP!
My new concert music recording, Scenes and Visions: Concert Music of AJ Harbison, is now available as a free download! Please download, listen and share!
It’s almost here! Scenes and Visions: Concert Music of AJ Harbison will be released as a FREE download on my website (right here) on Friday, September 16. More details in the announcement video below!
I’m very excited to announce the release of a new record, scheduled to drop in the next few weeks! Scenes and Visions: Concert Music of AJ Harbison was one of my final projects for my master’s degree at UMKC, for which I composed, recorded, edited, mixed and mastered all the music. It includes five pieces and nine tracks, and will be available for FREE download on my website when it’s released. The artwork is being created right now, and I can’t wait to share it and the music with you all.
But! In the meantime, you can hear an exclusive preview on my SoundCloud page. I’ve uploaded three movements of Five Scenes for solo piano, along with the full version of I Saw in the Night Visions for solo cello, which is a recording of a live performance. These tracks won’t be available anywhere else until the record is released, so take a listen, like, comment and share!
I had such a blast performing at Paper Birch Landing‘s opening reception for their show Merely Posing last week, and they’ve now announced that I’ll be the featured musical guest again at the reception for their new art show, Get Fierce, on June 10! If you didn’t get the chance to check out the last show, I’d highly recommend coming to this one—the art at all their shows has been high-quality and thought-provoking, and it’s a fun atmosphere with free food, drinks, art and music!
What: Get Fierce Opening Reception Gala
When: Friday, June 10, 6 pm to 10 pm
Where: Paper Birch Landing, 3740 Broadway Suite 300, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
Check out the Facebook event and RSVP!
I will be the featured musical guest at Paper Birch Landing‘s opening reception gala for their juried art show, Merely Posing, on May 13! This will be my first singer/songwriter performance in Kansas City and I’m very excited.
What: Merely Posing Opening Reception Gala
When: Friday, May 13, 6 pm to 10 pm
Where: Paper Birch Landing, 3740 Broadway Suite 300, Kansas City, Missouri 64111
Check out the Facebook event and RSVP!
I’ve added scores for (almost) every piece on the Concert Music page! You can now listen to a MIDI mock-up (or a real performance, whenever those are available) and follow the score, courtesy of Issuu (an online publishing service I highly recommend). If you’d like more information on purchasing scores or obtaining a license for performance, email info@ajharbison.com!
Paul: The Road To Damascus, the musical with script by my brother Mark Harbison, lyrics by my sister-in-law Bethany Harbison, and music by yours truly, has opened at LifeHouse Theater! It runs through September 27, 2015, with performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays every weekend. You can order tickets here!