A Bunch of Business in Boston

Quarterly Composition Compilation

August 2024

I feel like I say this every time (probably because I have thus far), but what a crazy quarter this has been! My summer was a chaotic smorgasbord of tasks related to my big move from the Mountain West to the East Coast, culminating in the act of actually pulling off the whole thing. There was a lot of drama and many miracles along the way, but if you want the full story grab me next time we’re hanging out. But as I’m sitting here in my new bedroom with a beautiful view of Boston, the last 3 months feel like a whirlwind that just came to a screeching halt, and now I’m walking around checking for storm damage to make sure there aren’t any yellow brick roads or flying monkeys (ok, so I probably took that metaphor a little too far, but there are actually brick roads here so I have to make sure!).

Master’s Program

              I made it to Boston! Been settling in for the last week or so to my new apartment, and getting progressively more and more excited (and apprehensive) about school starting. Classes start on Tuesday, but I’ve already met with some faculty on campus and things are looking very exciting for this semester. Tune in next time to hear all about my adventures!

Conducting

Had my final (for now) conducting gig with the American Fork Symphony in mid-July, and it turned out very well! There were some challenges associated with summer rehearsal attendance and a bit of burnout from the musicians, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well each of the pieces turned out despite the weather throwing a couple of curveballs (almost literally – halfway through the concert a massive windstorm kicked up out of nowhere and blew over a bunch of music stands and the US flag). After that concert, it was nice to have a break from music-related commitments so I could focus on packing and getting ready to move to Boston.

New PC

My computer broke! Also a long and dramatic story, but basically the motherboard got fried during a bios update and it ended up being cheaper to just buy a new PC. I got the newer version of the same model, so the only difference is that this one has a much better graphics card and a few other small changes. Thankfully I had all of my files backed up online, so the only real setback was having to use my slow HP laptop for a few days until this one arrived.

OK, now that we have all of that out of the way, let’s actually talk about what I’ve been composing!

Sorcery Slam!

              Wait, what is that I see? Another new project? Why yes it is!

In the interest of not breaking the (non-existent) NDA I signed, I will save the details of this project for next time (hint: it involves fun and games), but suffice it to say that I’ve been working on a really fun project in collaboration with a friend of mine for the last month and a half. Ostensibly this project is being written to serve the greater purpose of my friend’s passion project, but I have had so much fun drafting up the music and fine-tuning everything to fit his vision. Unlike most of my other projects, this one has had very well-defined limitations that were challenging at first but, as things moved along, became catalysts for creative solutions.

              As of this writing, I have finished all the conceptual drafts (a.k.a. demo tracks) and have done final renders on 3 out of the 4 major tracks. Oh, and did a recording sessions with a choir of volunteers involving kazoos, but I’ll save that for the next update!

Summary: Drafts finished, currently working on final versions. More updates next time!

A cute dragon guarding a copy of the choral music for this mysterious project.

And is that a kazoo I see back there?

Skyward Suite

              Looking through my update from last time, I don’t think I actually did much work on this one. I think I sat down once to work through some of the issues in the 5th movement, but nothing notable enough to write about. Once I finish things with Sorcery Slam, I would like to take this suite to my composition teacher so we can work out some of its issues, so expect a bigger update on this next time.

Summary: No progress since last time (I think???)

Colors Upon the Sea

              Had the final (for now) performance of this with the American Fork Symphony in July, and it was probably the best run-through we’ve had. Unfortunately, the sound quality won’t be the best due to the outdoor venue, but I’m looking forward to seeing the video!

              As I mentioned last time, in conducting and rehearsing this piece I noticed some things that I want to update at some point. I already talked about the woodwind edits I made, and some of the concerns with my string writing, but suffice it to say that if I get the chance I’d love to revisit this at some point in the future.

Summary: Final performance (for now), eventually want to work on a revised version.

Final Musing

              And that’s it for now! Somewhat surprising, I know, but most of my energy these last 3 months was dedicated to getting me to Boston in one piece. (Funnily enough, I was only mostly successful – while travelling on the highway my front license plate got ripped off by a blown-out tire slamming into it at 80 mph, so you could say a part of me was left somewhere in Illinois.) Admittedly, much of my time this summer was spent thinking about moving to a new place and trying to avoid thinking about how anxious I felt, which had the unfortunate side effect of not leaving much time for new projects.

If I’m being honest, I kinda miss living in Utah right now – I spent most of my life building up the connections I had there, and it’s challenging to be in a place where I have to start from scratch again. But as tempted as I am to feel more than just a little sorry for myself, I get this feeling that I’m inexplicably in the right place for me right now, which is odd considering the culture shock I’ve been experiencing here. But somehow this feels right, and now that the extreme highs and lows of moving here have started to even out I’m starting to have room to get excited about the opportunities I have here.

So I guess this whole update is just a very long-winded way of telling you to tune in for the next one! What opportunities will I have? What new projects will I have started? What even is Sorcery Slam anyway? I’m excited to find out, and hope you are too!

Until next time,

Jacob Whitchurch

September 3, 2024