Publications: PMP Magazine Archive

2006 Magazine | 2005 Magazine | 2004 Magazine

Published annually by the Philadelphia Music Project

Feature articles from 2006
Download the complete issue of PMP here (9.4 MB)

 

 

 

 

A Celebration of Traditions in Philadelphia
By Frank J. Oteri
"A substantial percentage of the activities funded by the Philadelphia Music Project has always involved the commissioning and premiering of new work, music which hopefully will one day enter the repertoire and become part of our tradition. But there have also always been projects nurtured by PMP that keep important pre-existing musical traditions alive and in the ears of the people of Philadelphia. Notable among the many fascinating endeavors funded in 2006 are several projects involving major contributions to our shared musical heritage that have been heretofore largely unknown and in some cases unheard."

 

Choir Crazy
By Daniel Webster
"Singing City, the name Elaine Brown chose when she founded her chorus 60 years ago, encapsulated her vision of music’s cohesive social power but also reflected a cultural tradition that antedated Europeans’ landing in America. Her shared vision was of a city held close by groups singing in clubs, in churches, in concert halls, in schools, in cellars, singing in many languages, singing everywhere. "

 

21st Century Presenters:
The Changing Face of Philadelphia’s Music Scene
By Alyssa Timin
"A few years ago, I was on a plane chatting with the woman next to me. I told her I lived in Philadelphia. “Great music town,” she replied. I smiled. Philadelphia’s reputation as a destination for music has existed for over a hundred years, and it keeps getting better. Since 2000, new presenting organizations have cropped up across the region, including Lifeline Music Coalition, Ars Nova Workshop, Sound Field, Bowerbird, Chamber Music Now, and Peregrine Arts. These emerging presenters are offering an unprecedented breadth of jazz, experimental music, contemporary chamber music, and genre-melding multimedia productions this season and beyond. These organizations not only present daring concerts, but also innovate on the very idea of what it means to present music, making now a great time to be listening in on Philadelphia."

 

To Honor a Legend: The John Coltrane Legacy in Philadelphia
By Vic Schermer
"What does John Coltrane have to do with Philadelphia music? The answer is: “not less than everything.” “Trane,” as he has been affectionately called, came up in Philadelphia, where he studied theory with the legendary Dennis Sandole, performed with then up and coming local musicians Benny Golson, Trudy Pitts, McCoy Tyner, and many others, and was first inspired by hearing the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker at the Academy of Music. So it is appropriate that Philadelphia honor Coltrane’s 80th Birthday through the music itself, which was his passion, and which he pursued to its outer limits."

 

Remembering György Ligeti
By Peter Burwasser
"György Ligeti is one of those artists who, while hardly a household name, has amassed an enormous influence in the musical community, and in subtle ways, the cultural sphere as a whole. He has become a great source of inspiration to a generation of composers, but there are also obvious references in pop culture, most famously, the inclusion of his music in the landmark Stanley Kubrick film, 2001, A Space Odyssey. Ligeti’s Lux aeterna became, at the time of the movie’s release in 1968, the voice of the future, brashly devoid of conventional technical parameters, but very direct, and certainly emotional. Almost paradoxically, this voice of the future was far more accessible than what was then the paradigm for new music, namely, a strictly serialist approach which was alienating listeners in droves. By the time of the composer’s death, in the spring of this year, Ligeti’s style had become even more inclusive, even as it retained a highly individual profile."

 

Resonating Space
By Thaddeus Squire
"No art, whether monumental or ephemeral, can avoid the imprint of space. The idea that there exists “neutral” or “sterile” space for art—space that allows the art to speak for itself without regard to its spatial context—is a highly questionable notion today. Yet this presumption about the severability of art and space, drawn largely from classical artistic practices, has maintained a curiously high degree of purchase within the fine and performing arts, as evidenced by the frequent lack of consideration given to space in many artistic and curatorial processes. To situate a performance or artwork outside the proscenium theater or gallery no longer reads as sharply critical or carries the avant-garde tenor that it might have had twenty-odd years ago. But in this “post-political” era in the relationship between space and art, there is much more at stake."

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Feature articles from Fall 2005
Download the complete issue of PMP here (8.8 MB)

 

 

 

Philadelphia: A Brave New (Old) World
By Daniel Felsenfeld

“Since 1912, when a daring, wild-eyed maestro cum musical mountebank named Leopold Stokowski took command of the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America’s most dynamic musical treasures, Philly has been one of the few cities allowing for the safe passage from thought to deed of The New—and this coming season will be no exception.”

Orchestras Rising
By Daniel Webster
"The orchestra does not live in airless glass jars. It is a social figure, an economic engine, a civic emblem, an icon of its culture with all the warts and beauties that implies. Its skin-shedding evolution is never better seen than in Philadelphiawhere orchestras – for nearly 200 years – have pulled on the robes and held the orbs of healers, educators, entertainers, champions, conservators and iconoclasts."

Saving the Day: The Music Education Explosion
By Alyssa Timin
"Music education has boomed into a major catalyst for cultural literacy over the past fifty years, largely in response to the continued threat of extinction by restricted government spending. In light of this perceived crisis, a vast array of organizations have taken up the torch, linking great performances with communities and schools and building another generation of passionate listeners and performers"

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Feature articles from Fall 2004
Download the whole issue of PMP here (3.3 MB)

 

PMP Awards Mine Philadelphia’s Treasures of Jazz, Blues and Improvisation
By Larry Blumenfeld
"Inspired by imaginary pasts and fictional futures as well as real-life roots and contemporary sounds, the constellation of projects funded by this lastest round of PMP grants will take elements of blues, swing and improvisation and carry them into new territory – all of which speaks of and to the city of Philadelphia, where so much innovative music has been birthed."

The String Quartet and Beyond: Chamber Music Flourishes in Philly
By Peter Burwasser
"The chamber music scene in Philadelphia runs the gamut from the world renowned offerings of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Kimmel Center to informal gatherings of musician friends playing for small audiences in neighborhood parks. The remarkable and completely wonderful reality of this situation if that the range in quality and inspiration within this world is very narrow."

Musical Borderlands: Exploring Interdisciplinary Art in Philadelphia
By Alyssa Timin
"Amidst the wide array of music being made in Philadelphia, from jazz to folk to classical, some groups are looking beyond music itself for adventurous programming. Several regional music organizations, among them PMP grantees Mendelssohn Club, Network for New Music, Relache, and the Prince Music Theater, are planning performances for the 2004-2005 season that cross disciplinary borders, integrating elements from other artistic arenas into their concerts."

Symposium Brings Interactive Technology to the Forefront in Music Education

Branding and Publicity Conference Draws a Crowd: Music Groups Gather to Talk Business

A World of Music in the City of New York: Blackbirds and Barbers on PMP’s Fourth Professional Development Trip

Group Visits Tanglewood Music Center’s Festival of Contemporary Music