The People's Suite For Symphony Orchestra
You, or your business, have a chance to immortalize your
name in the annals of music...
For $1, you will have a
measure of symphonic orchestra music written in your honor
with your name inscribed on the original manuscript score...
Become a part of music history with The People's
Suite for symphony Orchestra."
Along with some very nice coverage in the Denver media, I went
door to door in the ritzy Cherry Creek
shopping district convincing people to buy a measure (or several)
of fresh orchestral music. Hundreds of enthusiastic music lovers
helped out, including prominent media personalities, and
government
officials (some of them still in office despite their connection
with me!).
I
spent the entire next year composing,
writing out hundreds of parts by hand, and finally
recording the six movement opus: playing many of the parts myself
on my
synthesizer, one violin layer at a time, and so on. This
was supplemented by talented professional
musicians whose parts
were impossible to duplicate on my keyboard.
Charlie Samson, the music director at Colorado's premier classical
station KVOD,
heard the piece and decided it was worth an entire hour
of air time. (Some Beethoven symphony was the
warm up act in the preceding hour). Film producer Danny Salizar
chose the music
to supply the soundtrack for his nationally broadcast PBS
special "Still". And finally, Kodak used my recording in their U.S.
traveling exhibition "National Historic Places".
Unfortunately,
in my own home town, the twenty-five minute symphony
was not included in the Denver Symphony concert schedule for
that year. It should be noted that this orchestra went bankrupt
soon after this. Mere coincidence?!?
Danny Salizar called me one day and said "Your music
is up to be nominated for a Emmy award for musical
soundtrack, but you need to join the television union
first to qualify." Sadly, I wasn't able to get my nomination.
You see, in keeping with the tradition of starving composer, I
literally
didn't have the extra $25 to join the TV union. I had spent
all the funds plus thousands of my own dollars on getting the
perfect recording. Ah well.....