WELCOME! This website is dedicated to my passion for music and the role it has played, and continues to play both in my life, as well as in the context of human history and culture. In these pages you’ll find observations, experiences, reflections, performances, research and writing, recordings, links and other topics related to music. The site is a tool for discovering new and exciting contexts in which to think about and discuss, mentor and perform music of many styles and periods.
A re-imagining of how music is taught has been my response to a rapidly changing arts landscape, especially as new technologies impact music and its place in the digital world. I am interested in the potential of emerging platforms for sharing music, as well as the benefits derived from their use. Each time music is re-created, it can be experienced as if for the very first time, and its impact on both performer and the listener can be, and often is, life changing. I will have the opportunity to create music and explore ways of bringing the repertoire that I am passionate about to new audiences as I continue teaching and performing Western music in Asia. In addition to concert engagements, I will be chronicling the development and implementation of a new music education program at the Pujiang Institute in Nanjing, China.
Here are a couple of quick tips that will help in navigating the information found on this website. Under WHOLE NOTES are photo essays that convey content through a series of pictures with short commentary. HALF NOTES is a blog intended primarily to catalog my activities and observations on a number of topics, including my position as a full-time faculty member, performer, researcher, and writer. The BACH section underscores my lifelong commitment to the study, performance and promotion of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. You will find information about the composer and his music under a variety of headings. Under MUSIC, you can find my recordings on CD and as Mp3s. Beneath DOWNLOADS are various articles and commentaries, scores, videos and other music related resources and links. Additional pages contain biographical information, press kit, reviews, publicity, a calendar of activities and links to social media sites.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in learning more than is presented here, or if you would like to engage me as conductor, clinician, guest lecturer, or writer. I hope that you will follow your own muse wherever it takes you!
Cheers,
TJF