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October 2019 Recap

October was a busy and productive month! Here is a list of things that occurred:

October 4: I met with the Golden Williams Duo to go over the piece they commissioned me to write, which I titled SINGKIL, based on the filipino folk dance. It was a very productive session because we went over incorporating percussion in their playing, what worked (or didn’t), and how we could keep the essence of the dance’s rhythm. It premieres this Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, and I am so excited to hear them play my music!

October 11: I acquired a TB-3, my very first analog synthesizer! I jammed with it a couple of times, but I can see how versatile this machine is, and I look forward to creating some acidic bass lines in the future.

October 12: I attended the 2019 DUMBO Dance Festival, which is a 4-day festival that features a massive lineup of dance works, many of them by young choreographers. I was there to see “Consonance,” which is choreographed by Chaery Moon, with music by my friend Aurélie Webb. It’s a beautiful piece, and is mesmerizing to watch dynamic between the trio of dancers; at times they are all in sync, dance in a rippling effect, or as 2 vs. 1, etc.). You can it next at Your Move, New Jersey’s Modern Dance Festival.

October 16: I attended a seminar hosted by the NY chapter of the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), with lectures and demos on various guitar innovations for composers from Tom Salta, Scott Yahney, John Benthal, Mark Roos, and Elizabeth Rose. It was my first SCL event, and I was happy to see familiar faces from my time at the Aaron Copland School of Music and NYU.

October 19: I attended the Fatal Femme Festival, which I covered in last week’s blog post.

October 20: I participated in a photoshoot organized by Sari-Sari General Store, a NY-based collective that “provides a platform that connects the Filipinx diaspora through stories, makers, and experience, cultivating belonging and community.” The project is about our definition of beauty, and I am looking forward to seeing the final product.

October 21: I attended a screening of Saudade, hosted by the DCTV (Downtown Community Television Center) and IDA (International Documentary Association). Saudade is a touching, non-linear documentary that follows Theresa Ortolani (who is also the director and producer), an adopted daughter who reconnects with her birth parents. The documentary is still a work-in-progress, so the feedback discussion that followed was very informative, as various members of the audience offered what they related to or what they think could be added to help the narrative. It will be interesting to see what changes are made in the final version.

October 23: Have you ever wanted to enjoy classical music outside the comfort of your home in a place that wasn’t a concert hall or something of the like? Classical Revolution is brings classical chamber music to bars and cafes across North America and in parts of Europe (including London, Berlin, and Paris). I attended their Chamber Night at Bar Thalia, where I enjoyed some wine, whilst listening to Baroque music, as well as Mozart and Schubert. You can watch some of the videos I took here.

Last but not least, I dog-sat Ralphie. And I wanted to end this long post with a picture of the cutie. Here’s to a lively November!

Fatal Femme Film Festival

Last Saturday, I attended the inaugural Fatal Femme Film Festival in Brooklyn, NY. The festival was initially conceived by Haley Goetz, who graduated from the film program at Ithaca College and recently moved to the area. I found out about this event by browsing Facebook, and I’m glad I did, because it was great to experience a concerted effort to highlight women filmmakers in a D.I.Y. space. This kind of grassroots work is necessary as women try to make more of a space in this male-dominated industry, and I am thankful for the film festival’s existence. It was also refreshing to see women, P.O.C., subcultures, and queerness represented in these various films.

Some shorts caught my eye that evening, and I will list them below:

You’re Fit (dir. Lydia Reid) is a satirical animation that explores gym culture and narcissism.

The things I love, for me (dir. Siara-Lauren Brown) explores a queer, brown couple that goes through being a L.D.R. through the lens of one of the partners.

The Gods of Tiny Things (dir. Deborah Kelly) is an animation, featuring paper-based collages of “deity-creatures,” created in a masterclass hosted by the Bundanon Trust.

Doll It Up (dir. Yalan Hu) is a short film about a man’s relationship with sex dolls. “Feeling his marriage with Natalie – a sex doll he has been with for 3 years – has grown stale, Gunther decides to purchases a new doll, Dorri, that he adores and esteems as “true love.” However, true love never lasts. When he finds out his new wife isn’t as innocent as she looks, Gunther is faced with the fact that he has lost both of his wives.”

Brewsters (dir. Christina Bartson) is “a film about gender equality and beer” in Michigan.

Tree Girl (dir. Marissa Goldman) stars Marissa Goldman, who depicts a girl that is dressed like a tree and tries to find her way home.

Upcoming Shows: 11/03/19 & 11/08/19

Hi again! It’s been a while…but I’ve been keeping busy. I have quite the backlog of topics I’d like to blog about someday. I plan on making a post every week, so stay tuned.

The Golden Williams Duo, which is comprised of my friends Diana Golden and Gregory K. Williams, are going to perform in two shows next month! They asked me to write them a piece with cultural roots, so I turned to my filipino roots and wrote a piece based on one of the folk dances. I don’t want too much away now, so you’ll have to see it in person!

The first is on Sunday November 3, from 4-6 pm at Spectrum in BK, with Concetta Abbate and Trevor New. The second show is on Friday, November 8 at 9 pm at Bar Thalia at Symphony Space, with the Dan Cooper Quartet.