In Which I Self-Promote Shamelessly
I haven't been on LJ a lot recently. I've been expending my Social Talking-About-Myself energy on Facebook and Twitter because they're so immediate, and I have been a busy little bee, I haven't had time for the reflection and editing that make a good blog post. I've been so busy that posting here feels like a needless luxury when I should be spending my time on work and making a living. But really, keeping in touch with my friends on LJ is kind of important to me, too, and I want to get back into that.
Anyway. One of the things I've been doing instead of blogging is:
I recorded a CD!
I've known the composer Ricky Ian Gordon for nearly ten years, since I was in the Young Artist program at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and his music has always sounded fantastic in my voice.
Me and Ricky.
Last year, I finally designed a concert of his songs, arranged them to tell a story, and staged it with the help of a director friend of mine who I knew from Lyric. We performed it in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, which has beautiful mosaics all over the walls and a Tiffany glass dome. It was a stunning program and got an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reaction from everyone who came.
"The collaboration of Stacey Tappan and Ricky Ian Gordon in Once I Was produced one of the most outstanding musical events of the Chicago season. Technically masterful and exquisitely expressive, the duo's artistry memorably illuminated some of the finest American art songs of recent years. This program eminently deserves to be heard in major venues nationwide and to be preserved on disc."
Roger Pines, Dramaturg, Lyric Opera of Chicago
Check out this video of some of the highlights:
We could not let this collaboration just fade into the past. We wanted to make a perfect record of the way we performed all this beautiful music and how it all fit together.
So we decided to record it. And we did, March 23 and 24. And it was AMAZING.
And now I need to find a way to pay for it.
I'm saving a lot of money on this project. Ricky donated his piano playing and the mechanical rights to the songs (a huge expense-saver; plus those songs aren't easy to play and Ricky knows them better than anyone!) We recorded at the studio of a friend and fellow fan of Ricky's music, whose hourly rates are very reasonable, and since it was in his house, we could take breaks whenever and as long as we wanted, and record whenever we felt like it. TOTAL LUXURY. And I'm using DiscMakers to print the discs once the tracks are edited, and I'm designing the inserts myself.
But still, to get everyone to the recording studio, to pay for the clarinetist, the recording and editing time, and the duplication and CD distribution costs, it's going to cost about $5000.
So here's the shameless self-promotion part.
I'm running an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund the recording of this album, here:
http://www.indiegogo.com/onceiwas
Go there and check it out. If you give, even a little, you will have made the chances of this album getting made a little better. You get perks for your contribution: downloads, CDs, posters, thanks in the CD booklet, voice lessons, singing telegrams, and even private concerts for the big spenders. We've already raised over 30% of our goal, so the chances are very good that we'll get there with your help!
Plus, I'm being fiscally sponsored for this project by Fractured Atlas, which means that your donations (beyond the value of the perks) are tax-deductible.
Times are tough all over, for professional musicians as much as everyone else. Arts companies are losing their funding and are cutting back on productions, which means fewer jobs for singers and instrumentalists. It's at times like this that the artists take performance into their own hands, and a little support from a lot of people who love the arts makes the difference.
This CD is a labor of love; I'm hoping just to cover my costs and get it out in the world, to share it with everyone and to let performing arts organizations know about the recital, so I can perform it with Ricky again in as many places as possible.
Images from the concert.
I could not believe more strongly in the incredible depth and power of Ricky's music, in the beautiful way we perform it together, and in its worthiness to be heard. If you feel the same, please consider giving what you can spare to help make it a reality, and take an active part in supporting art you love.
And even if you have no money to spare at all, please blog about this, and let other people know. With crowdfunding, lots of people spreading the word makes a HUGE difference.
I'll leave you with a video I made on my iPhone, of one of our takes in the recording session, that I think captures the magical feeling we had when we were recording.
So please do check out the campagn website and help support this beautiful CD!
Anyway. One of the things I've been doing instead of blogging is:
I recorded a CD!
I've known the composer Ricky Ian Gordon for nearly ten years, since I was in the Young Artist program at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and his music has always sounded fantastic in my voice.
Me and Ricky.
Last year, I finally designed a concert of his songs, arranged them to tell a story, and staged it with the help of a director friend of mine who I knew from Lyric. We performed it in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, which has beautiful mosaics all over the walls and a Tiffany glass dome. It was a stunning program and got an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reaction from everyone who came.
"The collaboration of Stacey Tappan and Ricky Ian Gordon in Once I Was produced one of the most outstanding musical events of the Chicago season. Technically masterful and exquisitely expressive, the duo's artistry memorably illuminated some of the finest American art songs of recent years. This program eminently deserves to be heard in major venues nationwide and to be preserved on disc."
Roger Pines, Dramaturg, Lyric Opera of Chicago
Check out this video of some of the highlights:
Click to viewWe could not let this collaboration just fade into the past. We wanted to make a perfect record of the way we performed all this beautiful music and how it all fit together.
So we decided to record it. And we did, March 23 and 24. And it was AMAZING.
And now I need to find a way to pay for it.
I'm saving a lot of money on this project. Ricky donated his piano playing and the mechanical rights to the songs (a huge expense-saver; plus those songs aren't easy to play and Ricky knows them better than anyone!) We recorded at the studio of a friend and fellow fan of Ricky's music, whose hourly rates are very reasonable, and since it was in his house, we could take breaks whenever and as long as we wanted, and record whenever we felt like it. TOTAL LUXURY. And I'm using DiscMakers to print the discs once the tracks are edited, and I'm designing the inserts myself.
But still, to get everyone to the recording studio, to pay for the clarinetist, the recording and editing time, and the duplication and CD distribution costs, it's going to cost about $5000.
So here's the shameless self-promotion part.
I'm running an Indiegogo campaign to crowdfund the recording of this album, here:
http://www.indiegogo.com/onceiwas
Go there and check it out. If you give, even a little, you will have made the chances of this album getting made a little better. You get perks for your contribution: downloads, CDs, posters, thanks in the CD booklet, voice lessons, singing telegrams, and even private concerts for the big spenders. We've already raised over 30% of our goal, so the chances are very good that we'll get there with your help!
Plus, I'm being fiscally sponsored for this project by Fractured Atlas, which means that your donations (beyond the value of the perks) are tax-deductible.
Times are tough all over, for professional musicians as much as everyone else. Arts companies are losing their funding and are cutting back on productions, which means fewer jobs for singers and instrumentalists. It's at times like this that the artists take performance into their own hands, and a little support from a lot of people who love the arts makes the difference.
This CD is a labor of love; I'm hoping just to cover my costs and get it out in the world, to share it with everyone and to let performing arts organizations know about the recital, so I can perform it with Ricky again in as many places as possible.
Images from the concert.
I could not believe more strongly in the incredible depth and power of Ricky's music, in the beautiful way we perform it together, and in its worthiness to be heard. If you feel the same, please consider giving what you can spare to help make it a reality, and take an active part in supporting art you love.
And even if you have no money to spare at all, please blog about this, and let other people know. With crowdfunding, lots of people spreading the word makes a HUGE difference.
I'll leave you with a video I made on my iPhone, of one of our takes in the recording session, that I think captures the magical feeling we had when we were recording.
So please do check out the campagn website and help support this beautiful CD!