The Florida Flute Convention

All ready for Florida Flute Convention! #spottedrocket

A photo posted by Nicole Chamberlain (@nikkinotes) on Jan 28, 2017 at 4:48am PST

I live in Atlanta, Georgia. So it may come to a surprise to many that I had never been to the Florida Flute Convention, even though many of my students had thanks to being members of Kelly Via's fabulous Metro Atlanta Youth Flute Choir. Many students and colleagues have urged me to go and sell my compositions down at the Exhibit Hall at the Florida Flute Convention. I've always had one conflict or another, but this year I took the plunge and made my way down to Florida.

I was incredible lucky to by joined by a dear friend who made a living in the past in sales. She's a flutist who has performed quite a bit of my music and was familiar with the extended techniques. Let's just say I learned a ton about sales and how fortunate I am to be surrounded by friends who believe in what I am trying to accomplish. She would be mortified if I mentioned her name. But I hope she knows how thankful she came and what it meant to me.

Along with selling my compositions, part of the reason I traveled down to Orlando was because a couple of my pieces were being performed. Laura Clapper from the Flute New Music Consortium performed my work Asphyxia for solo flute. To my surprise, I got a lovely email a few days before the convention from Paige Long that Dayton State College and Community flute choir would be performing my work Railroaded for flute choir. Having a piece or two performed at these conventions helps people take your work more seriously. More than a few times people would walk up to my table and casually browse, but once I told them a couple of pieces were being performed, I got their attention. Its rare that I get recognized at these things, so winning people over when they don't know you from Adam is probably the largest obstacle. I enjoyed meeting all the new people and why they were at the convention.

The Florida Flute Convention was encouraging. We made more sales than I thought we would, and people seemed to enjoy my pieces that were performed at the convention. I also met many people who are interested in what I have written, and perhaps interested in commissioning more. Seeds were planted, and let's hope I'm better at cultivating paid commissions than I am a actual vegetable gardening.  It has motivated me to try a few other regional fairs. I will be attending the Atlanta Flute Fair in a couple weeks, and have added the Mid-South Flute Fair as well. Now I just have to pray my poor printer can hold up. That's another blog post.

Every day at NFA

I didn't plan to go to the National Flute Association's Flute Convention in San Diego this year. Going to the convention is an expensive endeavor especially when it involves flying to the other coast. Unless I had something major being performed I was going to sit this one out. So when my friends started conspiring to perform and commission new pieces with the hopes they would be selected to perform at NFA, I had my doubts any of it would be selected - especially the proposal that involved playing 30 minutes of my works on one program. I had made up my mind that we couldn't swing going to NFA this year, and that if would be crazy to think any of those proposals would be selected.  So when 5 of the 7 proposals were selected, I was in total disbelief.

from last year's NFA

This year's NFA really is going to be an extraordinary experience for me. First of all, I've never been to California - yay, travel! Secondly, I have 6 pieces being performed. SIX!!!! I always feel lucky to just get one piece performed during the 5 day convention. This means every day at the NFA convention I am having a piece performed. Thirdly, in spite of my printer's attempts to die, I've managed to convince Flute World to sell my music at their humongous booth at the Exhibit Hall at NFA. Lastly, I get to take an epic road trip with two of my friends and conspirators from Boulder, CO to San Diego, CA which includes stopping at the Grand Canyon for a couple nights. The best part about going to NFA is a chance to see and meet all the wonderful people who have performed my pieces and friends I rarely get to see. I also hope to meet people who I've made connections with online who have performed my music. It's a rare opportunity and I had to figure out a way to get to NFA.

So how do you get to NFA on a budget. I have been putting some money away from my sheet music sales since Christmas on. With that, I was able to pay all my NFA fees and plane tickets. The hotel is expensive, especially in San Diego. Luckily, nothing like friends to help defray the costs on the hotel. My 3 other cohorts and I are splitting a hotel for 4 of those days. I have to stay over by myself one night. Believe it or not, the cost of my hotel with my 3 friends was cheaper than my one night alone.  The only thing I have left to pay is food. Food, in my opinion, is the easiest way to save money. If the hotel doesn't serve a free breakfast, I can run to the grocery store and get some Luna Bars for the week. Lunch is usually catch if you can - if I remember to eat. Dinner - well dinner is always worth a good sit down meal with some adult beverages. For someone who didn't plan to go to NFA, I was able to do it. Now next year, I'll have to play be ear again. The lesson is "Always Be Saving".

Last year's NFA with my sister and FNMC

What do I hope for this year's NFA? I hope that I reinforce previous relationships with performers, learn some new tricks for my student's sake, and make new connections for more commissions. I've reached a lull in commissions. It happens. I may have exhausted my current connections and its time to make new ones. While I hope to have a good time with my friends and get a chance to see a bit of San Diego, I will have to put on the used car salesman hat my grandfather left me and go shake some hands.I'm just lucky that I enjoy my job so much that it doesn't always seem like work. Let's face it, its a Sunday afternoon - I should be relaxing, but I love what I do and it doesn't seem like work.

New Things

I am not a creature of habit. I rarely like to repeat myself. I love to experience and try new things, especially when it comes to music and travel. Perhaps that's why I love to perform new music and compose. I like to try and experience music I have not heard before and even better, when it has never been performed before. The past few months have been a healthy dose of repetition and new things. Over the past year I have traveled to Hartford, CT 3 times. Don't get me wrong, Hartford is a neat town filled with fabulous musicians (courtesy of the Hartt School) and friends. Luckily, I've been to Hartford 3 times because I've had 3 different premieres - "Trajectory", "Elasticity", and "Stridulation". Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to hear the same piece performed. I try to go to all my premieres. I'll even try to go to repeated performances if its a place I've never visited before and I can swing the money for the travel. Any excuse to travel, even if it might be some remote college town in the middle of a corn field - say Missouri, but that's another blog post.

So what does a girl do when she can't come up with the finances to travel to glamorous places? Well she tries all sort of new things in town. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and teach a workshop at the Atlanta Flute Fair called "Beatboxing to a Better Bach". I am by no means an expert in beatboxing. I leave that to Greg Patillo, but I use it in my music and I do have the basic understanding. So teaching a group of beginner beatboxers wouldn't be beyond my scope, right? Sure! It went well to my surprise. I certainly succeeded in getting EVERYONE dizzy. So by the end of the workshop I'm sure no one could remember anything.

Sometimes I'll even try things I probably have NO business doing, like conducting a musical's orchestra. Sure I had to take orchestral conducting in college and I have to conduct the church choir every once in a while, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't qualify me as a legitimate conductor. Somehow, I find myself saying, "Sure, I'll do it. As long as you understand I've never done this before." So I conducted my church's annual fundraiser musical. This year it was "The Music Man". I thank my lucky stars that its a musical with only 3 tempos: March, Ballad, and waltz. I was also behind a screen with the orchestra, so I'm sure I wasn't distracting anyone, and every orchestra left the pit with two eyes every show.

Now because each time this year I've tried something new, I decided to go WAY out of my comfort zone and make a fool of myself at the same time this week. I have no shame, and I'll try anything to spice up my musical life. Since I was little - 9 maybe? - I've owned a jaw harp. I've never done much with it except annoy my family on long car rides. (The jaw harp was foolishly bought by my parents on a 9 hour car ride from St. Louis, MO to Savannah, GA. They never thought I'd figure it out. It took 10 minutes. 8 hours and 50 minutes of jaw harpin' with popular 80's tunes on the radio!) So when a buddy of mine in Mercury Orkestar asked a group of percussionists I was standing with if any of them played jaw harp, I pounced! I've already had one appearance this past weekend, but on Friday at 7:45 at Smith's Old Bar I'll play 50 cents' "In Da Club" with Mercury Orkestar on jaw harp for 500 Songs for Kids. I do it for the kids, people!

 So what's next? What am I gonna do to keep it all interesting? Well I really don't know. I'm finishing up a commission for Clibber Jones Ensemble which has been a new composition challenge, but I'm sure I need to find my next scary and ridiculous challenge. I'm open to suggestions. Summer is a perfect time to do crazy things, at least I can blame the heat.

IAWM World Congress 2011 Wrap Up

What a wonderful time in Flagstaff, AZ. I really couldn't ask for a better experience. First of all I think I was really fortunate to have found a pair of fabulous flutists who enjoy playing my music. I have nothing but fabulous things to say about the Dahlia Flute Duo. Wonderful flutists and equally wonderful people. I could easily see myself writing for them in the very near future. Here's a video of them performing "Chatter" at the Congress, and you can see why I am eager to write another piece for them:



You can buy the sheet music here: http://www.nikkinotes.com/Chatter.html

We definitely bonded on this trip which even included some wrong turns on the dirt roads of remote Arizona. Ooops. But we survived!

The concerts that I was able to go to were fabulous and I am glad I had the opportunity to go. Dr. Judith Cloud coordinated the event, and cheers to her on a job well done! The selected music and performances were fantastic and I am glad to be included in such a group.

I couldn't miss the opportunity, however, to visit the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I had been to the north rim a few years ago, but I wanted to see the difference. I am so glad I went:

Certainly a trip and performance I will never forget! Now I get to play it Saturday with flutist Jessica Sherer at Classical Revolution event at Tah Cha Teahouse at 8pm :)

"Smorgasbord" at UCM New Music Festival

This year I have had three pieces of mine selected for music festivals. UCM is the second festival of the year and I have to admit I was pretty happy to visit my parents' homeland of Missouri.

Since Brian is not a huge fan of travel and I'd be paying for the trip myself, it seemed better in the larger scheme of things if I traveled there on my own. So with the help of a train, plane and automobile I got to Warrensburg, MO.

There was a decent turn out for the concerts, even for mine which is always surprising for the last day of a festival when most people decide to head home. The performance went well (it should I've been playing it long enough) and it seemed to be well received. I even got to meet flutist Rebecca Ashe who performed Mike McFarren's "Open Circuit". The piece was certainly a workout for the flutist, but well worth all the work. If you want to have the opportunity to feel like a rockstar, this piece is it!

Even though I do love performing "Smorgasbord" I hope at some point someone else will take it on and perform it as well. Then again, when "Tamar" was going to be performed by the UAH Flute Choir in February at UAH's New Music Festival I felt a little left out that I might not get to join in on the fun onstage. But last minute I had to fill in and I even got to play the alto flute!

I will get the opportunity to just sit in the audience for my compositions later this year. I will complete a new commission which I will definitely be unable to perform and the Dahlia Flute Duo will be performing "Chatter" at the IAWM Congress in Arizona in September. I can't wait!

For the time being I'm done with my music travels until late summer and need to get busy writing new works. I am looking forward to a summer of writing and staying home with Brian and the dogs...I guess the cat is alright too.

Home from 'Bama

Ok, so I didn't keep my end of the bargain and actually blog while on the trip. Everyday ended up being long and I was pretty exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel room. I was like a kid at the end of a long day at Disney World. All tuckered out from the fun.

I never know anyone when I go to these things. It's like I am from a completely different planet. I thought since this was actually in the south I might run into someone I knew, at least someone that went or taught at UGA. No dice. But even better, right? I can expand my circle of people and bust out of my tiny Atlanta world. I did know one person, Dr. Nick Demos, and one of his pieces was being performed by the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.

I attended the HSO's rehearsal of Nick's piece and it was a good experience for me to watch a professional orchestra perform a piece by an experienced composer. I sat next to him during the rehearsal and listened to his comments and his past experience with working with ensembles. Probably not an opportunities many people get to have, and it was purely by accident. Story of my life!

The rest of the festival was standard as new music festivals go. This music festival, however, had a wide variety of styles and aesthetics. It really kept things fresh to hear in one mini concert microtonality, a-tonality, tonality, electronics, experimental, and even some serialism. Every style of music was embraced, nothing as excluded.

I enjoyed my experience working with the flute choir under the direction of Betty Stone. They were really working out of their comfort zone with the extended beat boxing techniques, and they seemed to be having fun with it once they each had that "ah-ha" moment. They were great sports about everything and made me feel at home.

I hadn't planned on performing with the flute choir. I had mixed feelings about not performing on one of my compositions. If a piece had flute in it I was performing it. One of the alto flutist, however, got sick so I got to play some alto flute. Oh what fun to play alto! I have a special place in my heart for that instrument. So if anyone would like to fund my purchase of an alto I'd be game!

I'm glad to be home, and I look forward to the festival at University of Central Missouri in April. This time performing "Smorgasbord" myself. It will be good to make it back to the "homeland". I'm not sure about a trip to the band conference in Indianapolis. The band is premiering the piece here in Atlanta, so I might not go on the trip to Indiana. More news on that as well as other projects in another post!

On the road to 'Bama

So another road trip to a New Music Festival. This time to the University of Alabama at Huntsville to hear the world premiere of my work "Tamar". Looking forward to meeting all the fantastic flutists who agreed to premiere the work as well as composers from all over the country.

I will be sure to tweet (http://www.twitter.com/nikkinotes) and possible blog while I am at the festival, and hopefully take in some Huntsville sites and cuisine while I am there. What's really special about this concert is that it will be streamed online. So you can catch the premiere of "Tamar" on Friday (2/11) at 1pm CT http://www.uah.edu/music/live-internet-streaming even if you can't travel to Huntsville. I love technology!

2010? Wow! That's gonna be a hard act to follow!

First of all I just noticed that I have been blogging since June 2006. How crazy is that? The goals are the same, and I have come a long ways on the journey. I just gotta keep on keeping on and find ways to keep things fresh.

2010 was a very good year. I thought 2009 was incredible, but 2010 certainly did me right as well. It's been exciting to have all the new experiences and find more confidence in myself, thanks to a slew of friends and colleagues who certainly have a lot of confidence in me (not to mention the hubby who seems to believe I could walk on water if I wanted to take on that task). Sure I get a ton of rejections like any other composer, but I learn from those and keep on truckin'.

So what were the highlights of 2010? I got a taste of being a touring musician. Music + travel = happy me. I got to go on a mini tour the the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, go to a Women Composers Convention to perform my own work, travel to Boston to play some concerts with my hubby and a friend (as well as make new ones) and set wheels in motion to travel more in 2011. And of course my all time favorite concert was playing on my husband's graduate recital here in Atlanta. He got the most incredible performances, which wasn't hard to do with the great music he had written. I can't wait to see what he writes next, he's taken a much needed hiatus ever since. I am starting to hear him tinker around in his studio, the bug is biting him.

I also wrote the most music in 2010 then I ever have. I probably doubled my list of compositions, thanks to the motivation of competitions and requests from friends. The two highlights being the 24 Hour Opera Project put on by Atlanta Opera and a commission from Hopewell Middle School Band which will perform the piece in the Music for All Festival in Indianopolis, IN this March. Without the urging of a few friends, family, and a failed negotiation of another commission I probably would not have found the gumption to take matters in my own hands and find my own opportunities. "No one is going to promote me better than myself" has turned into "No one is going to work harder for me than myself". Its just not enough to put my name out there. I have to make opportunities out of any situation, even if they are ideas I use to poo-poo before. "Ugh, band music and flute choirs just don't interest me" - They do now! Those are the people yearning for new music, and by golly I know those ensembles best! What was I thinking not doing this earlier? Yes mom you are right "Never say never".

So what is the plan of attack for 2011? How can I ride the momentum that got rolling for 2010? Well I need to find another commission. I am hoping the premiere of my band piece at Music for All will spark interest for other commissions but I can't bank on that. I also can't bank on competitions since there are so many people submitting to each competition. I will still submit by I got to rustle up new opportunities. There are a few colleagues I might investigate, but I know its time for the Chamberlains to take things more seriously. Maybe we need to put a recording out there? If we can get a recording project started with concerts lined up for 2012 and I can get another commission, I think 2011 will be spectacular!

Of course there are performances of pieces I wrote in 2010 for 2011, and its nice that I am not the one performing them. Its been a long time since I have had a piece performed that I wasn't performing it and both pieces include flute! My flute quartet "Tamar" will be performed at UAHuntsville New Music festival with prospects of other ensembles performing it in Georgia. My band piece will get a couple of performances in and out of Georgia. I just got to keep on writing more original music with a set ensemble in mind to sell it to.

Everything else will keep on track. Keep up with the students, keep up with the music engraving, keep up with the CraftHope projects and keep up with the hubby. I will also try not to obsess too much with the music career and try to have some non music related fun, don't want to burn out like I did with web design. Well, that's enough for the blog's longest ever post. Stay warm everyone!

Dear March, Come In!

March is an exciting month this year, especially for a couple of my compositions. The best part is I get to travel and perform!

"Mangosteen" is having an especially good month. It is finally published by Clear Note Publications. You can buy a copy at Carere Music here in Atlanta or you can buy it online at http://www.clearnote.net/Mangosteen.html. Some copies have already been sold at the Georgia Guitar Symposium in Columbus, GA. I am also going to perform the work again on March 20 at 3pm with guitarist Irvin Kauffman at the International Festival of Women Composers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. I am looking forward to hearing alot of great works performed and learning about new pieces in the lectures from the 18-20th. And hopefully I'll get to visit some with the in-laws.

"Smorgasbord" is being performed today in Paris, France by James Strauss at Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot. I wish I could be there, but the finances just wouldn't allow it. I hope he is able to get a recording of it. It would be nice to hear someone else perform it for a change.

Last, but not least, I'll be performing with Mercury Season on March 17 at Georgia Perimeter College Dunwoody Campus at 1pm. We will be performing music from Ireland. The concert will include my arrangements of "Brian Borus March", "Irish Confetti", and "Molly on the Shore".

March is a busy month, but should also be a blast. Anytime I get to travel is a good time. I've already been to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Columbus,GA, and Savannah, GA this year. We'll be making it out to Boston for a wedding and hopefully a concert in June. Should be an exciting year!

Back from the road, for a month anyway...

It's great to be home, but I feel I haven't quite gotten back to routine. Trying to round all the students back has been a little tricky. Hopefully over the next week it will all iron out. I did enjoy touring, however, I don't think I would want to do the same show on an extended tour.

It was a wonderful experience and met some fabulously talented people who were more than willing to mingle before and after shows. The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players had a wonderful cast, and I've never felt more welcomed from a group of people. Who would think that they would really listen to the orchestra, but they do! I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact I played the tiny beast, the piccolo ;)

It was a different experience each show, mainly because of change of venue. The first show we couldn't see the cast from the pit, and it was probably for the best. On the second show, there were plenty of distractions. Not only could we enjoy watching the cast during our tacets, but there was some pit movement during the opening overture. Talk about having to keep your focus! By the third show, I finally started feeling comfortable in my skin, but then the tour was over. Now I'm left singing all the songs over and over, and "I know that a policeman's lot is not a appy one...appy one".

I look forward to what new experience and travels that this year brings, and there seems to be some wonderful things on the horizon. This month will be fairly on schedule, I'll be teaching alot and writing some. But March brings concerts and travel. I can't wait!

On the road...

Well it's a new year, and I suppose I will have to get to my resolutions at some point. Right now, is not the time. It's a little crazy this week or two. The next week will include a ton of traveling.

Brian's great uncle died Friday, and we will make a sad return to Pennsylvania to attend his funeral. Not a pleasant reason to have to travel, but it will be good to see his family and get another chance to know everyone better.

We will drive back in time for me to get on the tour bus for the NY Gilbert and Sullivan player's production of "Pirates of Penzance". We'll have one rehearsal and dive right into the first performance at Appalachain State. We get back on the bus for a performance in Atlanta, then onward to Panama City. This will officially be my first time on a professional tour, and embarrassed to say my first time playing in a real pit. I'm looking forward to this tour! Something I've always wanted to do, I'm glad I get the chance. I am really busting it hard to play well, so I might get the opportunity to do it again if I end up loving the experience.

This will be the first time since Brian and I got married where we will be sleeping apart. I'll miss him, and I'll miss the puppies. They're not coming with us on this short trip to Pennsylvania. They'll be happier at the puppy hotel that they seem to love so much.

So it's a busy and crazy start to the year, with a lot of potential to travel for music and travel to see family (on more happier occasions). Brian will finish his master in composition and hopefully a start to our collaboration on performance, composition and perhaps teaching. 2010 has great potential, indeed.