The Portfolio Composer

Considered “highly imaginative…with big ideas” (Baltimore Sun) and “stirring and uplifting” (Miami Herald), award-winning composer Jake Runestad (b. 1986) has received commissions and performances from leading ensembles and organizations such as Washington National Opera, the Netherlands Radio Choir, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Seraphic Fire, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Virginia Arts Festival, the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Craig Hella Johnson and the Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Spire Chamber Ensemble, and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. Dubbed a “choral rockstar” by American Public Media, Jake is one of the most frequently performed composers in the U.S.A. and travels extensively to work with ensembles as a clinician and resident composer. Jake Runestad holds a Master’s degree in composition from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he studied with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. Prior to graduate school, he studied privately with acclaimed composer Libby Larsen. A native of Rockford, IL, Mr. Runestad currently lives in Minneapolis, MN and his music is published by Boosey & Hawkes and JR Music.

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In this episode Jake discusses the value of learning from other composers, as well as:

• Time management
• F.A.Q.s
• Websites
• Commissions
• Meditation

Website:

• www.jakerunestad.com

Recommended Listening:

• Dominick Argento, Walden Pond

Recommended Reading:

• Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

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Dr. Valerie Young is an internationally-known speaker, a leading expert on the impostor syndrome, and author of award-winning book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It (Crown Business, a division of Random House) now available in five languages.

A former manager of strategic marketing at a Fortune 200 company herself, Dr. Valerie Young has shared her highly relatable and practical advice to tens of thousands of executives, managers, and professionals at for-profit companies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Impostor feelings are pervasive in higher education. Little wonder that Valerie has spoken to tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff at over 70 major colleges and universities. Valerie’s insight and humor have made her a popular keynote and guest speaker at numerous conferences and association meetings.

Join The Portfolio Composer community and support the creation of the platform on Patreon. Just $1/month to enable the creation of more great content to help you build your career!

In this episode Valerie discusses fear, doubt, and the imposter syndrome in creatives and academics. Dr. Young gives us three steps to dealing with our fears, doubts, and impostor feelings. She suggests we:

1. Normalize our impostor feelings
2. Re-frame failure
3. Keep going in the face of fear

Purchase her book: The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It

Websites:

• www.impostorsyndrome.com
• www.changingcourse.com

Recommended Book:

• Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

A review of Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time by Rory Vaden.

Join The Portfolio Composer community and support the creation of the platform on Patreon. Just $1/month to enable the creation of more great content to help you build your career!

"For years I had convinced myself that I was so busy. I would even make mini presentations to myself in my own mind about how I must be "busier" than most people around me.

"I would even tell people, "I am just so busy right now." Over and over people would ask me how I was doing and I would reply with the same melodramatic sigh that communicated just how overwhelmed I was.

"It was almost as if I was allowing myself to perpetuate this story that I was so busy because it gave me some false sense of importance about myself. Sad.

"Then suddenly out of the blue, one day it occurred to me that the most successful people I knew never complained or even spoke about how busy they were. More than that, they never even seemed to let on to anyone about everything they had going on in their lives.

"Quit telling everyone how busy you are. Resist the indulgence of saying "I am too busy."

"Your problem is not that you are too busy; your problem is that you don't own your situation.

"You get stressed and frustrated with distractions, fine—we all do.  But your life is your responsibility. Any commitments you have were either made or allowed by you.

"You are not a victim. You are in charge. You are capable. You are powerful enough to decide what you will and won't do with your time."

Do you feel like you're busier than ever—yet never caught up? You're not alone. Many of us are tired, frustrated, and stressed from being overworked at the office and at home, with no concrete plan for getting it all under control without compromising our well-being.

In Procrastinate on Purpose, self-discipline strategist Rory Vaden presents a different approach for how to identify and focus on what's important. Instead of one more calendar, checklist, or gadget, he points out what we really need is an understanding of the emotional reasons we fail to maximize our time—and he then reveals the five "permissions" we can grant ourselves in order to get better results while creating more margin in our daily lives.

Purchase Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden on Amazon.com.

You can find all the Must Read episodes here.

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This is a Rebroadcast of Ep 66.

Seth Godin is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth founded both Yoyodyne and Squidoo. His blog is one of the most popular in the world.

This is an unusual episode. Instead of the traditional interview this is a re-broadcast of a seminar delivered by Seth Godin to the students of Juilliard in early 2016. When I heard the audio of this seminar I was completely floored. There is an incredible amount of value here with lessons that are timely and relevant. I reached out to Seth and he graciously gave permission for me to share this seminar with the Composer on Fire audience. You can find the original recording on Vimeo. Special thank you to Seth Godin for helping musicians think about their craft, what it means in today's world, and for allowing me to share your amazing work. Thank you, also, to Juilliard for inviting Seth and creating the opportunity for Seth to influence the lives and careers of musicians.

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Best-selling author and marketing expert Seth Godin shares how value is made in today's economy and how musicians can take advantage of it.

Topics in this episode:

• The shortage of highly competent musicians is over
• Role of technology as an artist
• Grammy awards
• Scarcity
• The hard part used to create value
• Connections
• Trust and attention, connections, now create value
• Playing it as written
• What school is for
• Solve interesting problems and lead
• Who will miss you if you're gone
• Connect with people where they are and then change them

Website:

• www.sethgodin.com

Recommended Books by Seth Godin:

• Linchpin
• Tribes
• The Dip
• Purple Cow
• What To Do When It's Your Turn

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Jocelyn Hagen composes music that has been described as “simply magical” (Fanfare Magazine) and “dramatic and deeply moving” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis/St. Paul). Her first forays into composition were via songwriting, and this is very evident in her work. The majority of her compositional output is for the voice: solo, chamber and choral. In 2006 she co-founded Graphite Publishing with fellow composer Timothy C. Takach.

Timothy C. Takach has been commissioned by The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Olaf Band, VocalEssence, and Lorelei Ensemble among others, and his music has been performed on A Prairie Home Companion and The Boston Pops holiday tour, and at venues including Alice Tully Hall and Kennedy Center. He is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, a co-founder of the ensemble Cantus and Graphite Publishing.

Join The Portfolio Composer community and support the creation of the platform on Patreon. Just $1/month to enable the creation of more great content to help you build your career!

Composers and entrepreneurs Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy Takach discuss Graphite Publishing, marketing, and becoming a professional.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Life balance
• Being married to a composer
• Competition
• Becoming a professional
• Knowing you've made it
• Taking the leap of faith into composition
• Telling people what you want to do
• Stacking work in the pipeline
• Graphite Publishing
• Seeing a problem & solving it
• Not being a vanity press
• Publishing
• Marketing your music
• Making the music look presentable
• Making it easy for the conductor and performer
• Brand
• Conferences
• Direct marketing
• The reason why
• Music is a service

Websites:

• jocelynhagen.com
• timothyctakach.com
• graphitepublishing.com

Recommended Listening:

• Ugis Praulins, The Nightingale
• Tori Amos, Under the Pink
• Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Can't Hold Us

Recommended Reading:

• David McNally & Karl D Speak, Be Your Own Brand: Achieve More of What You Want by Being More of Who You Are
• Daniel Ladinsky, Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West

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With more than a decade of experience in the music industry, Andrew Ousley has worked with artists and organizations such as Lawrence Brownlee, Conrad Tao, Kevin Puts, Warner Music, On Site Opera and more. He has overseen the marketing, promotion, publicity and project management of fourteen #1 albums, from core classical to crossover to Fifty Shades of Grey - The Classical Album, and has built his company Unison Media into one of the the most highly-regarded publicity and marketing companies in the performing arts world.

Join The Portfolio Composer community and support the creation of the platform on Patreon. Just $1/month to enable the creation of more great content to help you build your career!

PR expert and entrepreneur Andrew Ousley shows us how we can clarify our story, define our brand, and better market ourselves and our music.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• PR
• How the public perceives you
• PR=Branding=Marketing
• Controlling the story
• Slicing up the kaleidoscopic totality of your being
• PR is like dating
• Being in the public eye
• Slicing the personality of your brand
• The difficulty of talking to two audiences
• Make the story around your music feel momentous
• The question you need to ask yourself
• What a PR firm can do for you
• PR lead time
• Budgeting to hire a PR firm
• PR vs Agents
• Building a team

Website:

• www.unison.media

Recommended Listening:

• Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet 15 (Op. 132)
• Arvo Pärt, Spiegel im Spiegel
  

Recommended Reading:

• David Cutler, The Savvy Musician: Building a Career, Earning a Living & Marking a Difference
• Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel

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Eric Salazar is an emerging artist with international press attention. Dubbed a super-human clarinet hero (Big Car, 2015), Salazar pioneers the indie-classical genre. He takes his classical training and fuses together modern electronics with classical instruments, blending ancient styles with present musical trends.Eric’s purpose for writing music is to create art that challenges standards, unites audiences of uncommon backgrounds, and connects souls through creative understanding.

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Clarinetist and composer Eric Salazar shares strategies for introverts to effectively network and navigate conferences.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Eric's interviews on the Clarineat Podcast:
  • Ep 8-Eric Salazar on the Business of Music, BuzzReed, and his new album
  • Ep 48-How Eric Salazar Grew His Facebook Page by 6000%
• Networking
• Prepping questions
• Practicing conversations
• Conferences
• Fresh Inc Festival
• Learning to think businessly
• We need help to build a career
• We need to experiment
• Be willing to fail
• Adding value

Website:

• ericsalazarclarinet.com

Recommended Listening:

• Nine Inch Nails, "Hurt"
• Johnny Cash, "Hurt"

Recommended Reading:

• The Musician's Guide to Hustling (blog)

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"Trailblazing” cellist Mariel Roberts (Feast of Music) is widely recognized as a deeply dedicated interpreter of contemporary music. Roberts’ work emphasizes expanding the technical and expressive possibilities of her instrument through close relationships with innovative performers and composers of her generation. Her passion for collaboration and experimentation has led her to premiere hundreds of new works by both emerging and established artists.

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Cellist and new music advocate Mariel Roberts discusses her album, Cartography, and respecting the performer.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Mivos String Quartet
• Cartography
• Approaching composers
• Funding the music
• Pitching the project by being enthusiastic
• Seeing the world in new ways through new music
• Pre-judging performers
• Ideal collaboration is a long-term relationship
• Making a real human connection first
• Being clear
• Not re-inventing the wheel
• Respecting the performer
• Gender biasing in new music

Website:

• marielroberts.com

Recommended Listening:

• Steve Reich, Different Trains
• Tim  Hecker, Virgins
• George Lewis, Anthem

Recommended Reading:

• Italo Calvino, The Complete Cosmicomics

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Dr. Deborah Simpkin King is a visionary conductor, advocate, and educator with a wide reach of influence. She is Founder and Artistic Director of Schola Cantorum on Hudson, a pro-am choral ensemble dually based in NYC and NJ, focused on new music with socially pertinent programming; and of PROJECT : ENCORE™ the international advocacy initiative in promotion of post-premiere performances of new music.

Her industry leadership takes such additional forms as her Chairmanship of the New York Choral Consortium (since 2012), Coordination of the NJ-ACDA HS Choral Festival (since 1994), and frequent presentations at professional conferences on new music and on choral consortia. She also serves as Director of Arts Ministries at Trinity and St. Philip's Episcopal Cathedral in Newark, NJ.

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Conductor and new music advocate Deborah Simpkin King discusses Project : Encore™, which is dedicated to repeat performances new new choral works.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Project : Encore™
• Solving the second performance problem
• Marketing is the issue
• Setting Project : Encore™ up legally
• Keeping it free
• Anonymous reviewers
• Programming music
• Pre-vetting the music
• Submitting pieces to Project : Encore™
• The cost of running the project
• Fighting anti-choral bias
• Consortia
• Getting director buy-in
  • Know the program and subject matter of your piece
  • Provide an overview
  • Know the ensemble & director
• Believe

Websites:

• deborahsking.com
• projectencore.org

Recommended Listening:

• Sergey Rachmaninoff, Vespers
• J. S. Bach, B Minor Mass
• Ralph Vaughan Williams, Mass in G Minor

Recommended Reading:

• Jim Collins, Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great

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Dale Trumbore’s compositions have been commissioned, awarded and performed by ensembles including ACME, Center City Opera Theater, Choral Arts Initiative, The Esoterics, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the Maryland State Boychoir, New York Virtuoso Singers, The Singers – Minnesota Choral Artists, and VocalEssence. She is currently Composer in Residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble.

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Composer Dale Trumbore returns to the podcast to discuss the making of, funding, and marketing of her new album as well as branding, using social media, blogging, and dealing with composer guilt.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Online presence
• Real personalities
• Telling a story
• Social media consists of one-sided dialogues
• Distinguishing yourself
• How to Go On
• Brandon Elliot
• Choral Arts Initiative
• Funding the album through pre-orders
• Dale's podcast tour:
  • Music Publishing Podcast
  • Choir Chat Podcast
  • One Track Podcast
• The slow-burn of marketing
• The long tail of press coverage
• Guest blogging
• Believing in your own work
• Anxiety
• Residencies
• Composer guilt
• Not pursuing a doctorate
• Uncertainty

Website:

• daletrumbore.com

Recommended Listening:

• Dale Trumbore, How To Go On
• Benjamin Britten, Hymn to Saint Cecilia

Recommended Reading:

• Manjula Martin, Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living

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