A Composer's Corner

Betty Wishart began composing while studying piano with Richard Bunger. After earning degrees in piano performance from Queens University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she pursued studies in both piano and composition in New York City.

Since her music was first published, her music has been performed in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, England, Russia, South Korea, and throughout the United States. She has received awards from the American Pen Women, American College of Musicians, Composers Guild, Broward County Music Teachers Association, and special awards from ASCAP.

In March 2016 Ravello Records released Piano Sonorities, the debut album of Wishart’s piano music .…”an utterly beguiling collection of piano music (Classical Nowhere). MOODS, an album of piano music was released in November 2020 by Ravello Records. MOODS….. ” An exceptional endeavor in the area of solo piano music, each selection brings the listener on an exhilarating and enlightening journey that truly showcases the boundlessness of the piano”(Take Effect Review). Other recordings have been released by Navona Records, Sarton Records and Phasma Music.

We will listen to a sampling of her music including a special piece commissioned on the subject of Domestic Violence which is very moving.

How do composers approach writing music? Join Andrew Celentano for an interesting interview with Jeff Berlin, an American jazz fusion bassist. Berlin, born in Queens, New York, studied violin for ten years. Then at 15 years old, he was inspired to play bass after seeing the Beatles. He attended Berklee College of Music and came to international attention in 1977 when British musician/drummer Bill Bruford handpicked him for his debut album "Feels Good to Me". As of this interview in 2022, Jeff had produced 11 Jazz CDs and has appeared in over 30 albums. Andrew Celentano, himself a pianist and composer, interviews talented musicians from all over the US and around the world that compose and (in many cases) perform their own pieces.

You can see more at https://www.jeffberlinmusicgroup.com/

And find more interviews at https://www.acomposerscorner.com/

Phil Young composes music in various forms, including symphonic, chamber, electronic, vocal, and film. His ability fusing Chinese and western elements in his music enriches his originality. His music has been performed at music institutions and venues throughout the United States and all around the world including Shanghai, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Barcelona, and England.

His music “Reverie” and “Reflection on a Tang Poem” have been published in exclusive anthologies of contemporary Chinese music. His composition for cello and piano “Consolation” (for all the people Suffering from the Pandemic) has been included in the KDFC Classical Music Station’s programing. “Fantasy for Orchestra”, “Lament”, “Suzhou River Fantasie”, “Sea Waves ” and “Fire Dance” have all received special recognition.

A graduate and a scholarship recipient of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Phil Young studied composition with professor Elinor Armer. Phil Young currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been involved with various local performing groups including as Music Director of the Chinese Performing Artists of America and Conductor of CPAA Youth Chamber Orchestra.

You find out more about him at https://philyoungmusic.com/

And you can find other interviews at https://www.acomposerscorner.com/

I interviewed David in Dec 2022. Born and raised in the small sylvan town of Mendham, New Jersey, David Tolk studied classical piano from an early age with his mother, Marilyn Tolk, who is a graduate of The Juilliard School. During his teenage years, David became more interested in learning to play the music of Rush, Journey, Van Halen, Kansas, Genesis, Yes, and other bands on the piano and his Korg synthesizers. He quickly discovered that he could play most songs on the radio by ear. He began composing peaceful instrumental piano music while still in high school.

David has released ten new age instrumental piano albums which have received national distribution and radio airplay. David's 2010 instrumental piano CD release, "David Tolk Christmas," peaked at #8 on the Billboard New Age Chart for the week of December 25, 2010. In February of 2022, David released his newest album, Blessings, which peaked as the #1 best-selling new-age album on Amazon shortly after its release. David's music has received more than 6005 million streams on Pandora His music has been featured on Public Radio programs including "Hearts of Space" and "Echoes." David has composed music for Warner/Chappell Production Music for licensing in film and commercials. David's music is available for purchase at www.davidtolk.com, iTunes, Amazon.com, and numerous other digital download sites. You can also listen to his music for free on Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and many other streaming sites.

You can see more of him here: https://www.davidtolk.com/

And more of my interviews here:https://www.acomposerscorner.com/

Kevin Tracy was born and raised in Rhode Island and now lives in Connecticut. He has taught at many levels, from grade four up through “grade fourteen.” Mr. Tracy is a teacher, a conductor, and a composer of music in a variety of genres, including classical, jazz, funk, avant-garde, and heavy metal.

For those musicians out there, we will hear a piece that was composed in the Locrian Mode and also one using the Octatonic Scale. I heard one of his compositions recently played by the Windham Concert band on the Windham Green called “North Windham Overture”.

Kevin is a trombone player in the Willimantic Orchestra.

You can watch more interviews here:

https://www.acomposerscorner.com/video-interviews