David E. Chavez

Reflections from VCCA, Day 1

2013-06-18T20:19:00.004-04:00

Drove to VCCA through multiple torrential downpours, but managed to hydroplane only minimally and stay on the road.

My room is simple, clean, and more than adequate, with private bath and a nice view of the outside through glass doors.

My studio is a little standalone building that is part of a larger complex made from a converted barn. Isn't it amazing how many wonderful performing, exhibit, and working spaces for the arts are made from converted barns? This one has livestock only feet away. Having four walls of my own is wonderful not because I'm anti-social, but because I was concerned about making noise and disturbing the person on the other side of the wall.

The piano is a lovely white Kawai, in tune, with a pleasing tone. There are two big desks. With everything set up, I think I have the most effective workspace I've ever had! I started feeling the excitement once I realized the space was really mine to use as I needed and that I actually had plenty of that precious commodity--time--to set it up and use it.

I got right to work on the opera. The librettist, Meredith Bean McMath, gave me last week a draft of a good part of the story. We're planning on lots of collaborative, two-way communication, something we both value very much. I started seeing what the text said to me, and looking at songs from some Civil War songbooks she lent me. More to come on the content of the opera.

I've got things set up so I can easily record to audio my handheld recorder (Zoom H4n) or into Apple Logic on my laptop through my mic/audio-interface or as MIDI through the keyboard I brought (Yamaha MOX8). The office manager, Beatrice, was very prompt and helpful in setting aside a printer for me. That, along with a few accessories and some portable monitor speakers comprise a capable setup. Oh, and I've got my electric and acoustic guitars, which may be especially important as guitar is likely to be part of the miniature pit "orchestra."

Did some work planning for the church, unpacking, getting situated, and headed to dinner. I was nervous about meeting people, but right away easily struck up a conversation with a sculptor, who then helped me meet a table of people including a novelist, a non-fiction essayist, a poet, and a writer of short stories. It turns out the poet had also written a libretto for an opera... she is Gardner McFall (The Pilot's Daughter) and the opera with music by Daron Hagen is Amelia, recently premiered by Seattle Opera starring the likes of Nathan Gunn. Too cool! We had a great conversation about writing opera libretti, and what she learned.

After dinner, I visited the beautiful Steinway grand piano in the common area of the fellow's residence and improvised on the tune of "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy." The tune (RESTORATION, from Southern Harmony, 1835) is one that I think will fit somewhere in this opera I'm working on. Not surprisingly, what came out as I was improvising was probably better than most of what I came up with in my studio. Luckily (for once) I actually had a little recorder running so I've got it. Now, off to listen to what I've got and see where it goes...

What's new?

2012-01-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

This past summer, Dave and Melissa traveled to Italy to perform in the Assisi Performing Arts festival. Performances included art song, opera, broadway-style song, and the premiere of my new "Ubi Caritas" for choir during Sunday Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis!

In September, I began work at Front Royal United Methodist Church in Front Royal, VA as the Minister of Music and Worship Arts. I've had the privilege of joining a strong tradition of music and arts and continuing to foster innovation and creativity in this vibrant congregation and community.

The Christmas season saw multiple performances by Melissa and Dave, including a standing-room-only Christmas Concert at the Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville, VA.

Breath for solo trumpet and live electronics at Shenandoah University

2011-04-03T14:29:00.001-04:00

Trumpet player Alexandria Smith will be perfomring my solo-trumpet-with-live-digital-delay-processing work Breath on her joint recital with clarinetist Eric Taylor tonight (Sunday, April 3) at 7:00pm in Goodson Chapel and Recital Hall on the main campus of Shenandoah University.

The premiere of It Starts with One for clarinets and live electronics

2010-11-25T22:42:00.002-05:00

Click here for HD

featuring Elisabeth Stimpert on clarinet and bass clarinet.

Join the email list

2010-11-25T22:05:00.002-05:00

For updates on new music releases and upcoming performances, visit www.reverbnation.com/davidechavez and join my email list. Enter your email address under "Join the Mailing List" and click "Join."

2010-11-11T19:44:00.005-05:00

It's a busy week for premieres! Tonight (Nov 11), two songs I wrote are on a concert of new works at SU's Goodson Chapel/Recital Hall; one will be sung by Melissa Chavez and the other by Steven Murray, both with Eric Waggoner, piano. On Sunday (Nov 14), I'm collaborating with Alarm Will Sound clarinetist Elisabeth Stimpert, doing live electronics for her clarinet-and-electronics recital Clarinexus at Goodson Recital Hall. The performance, which is part of SU's Ear Candy series, includes a new piece I wrote for solo clarinet and electronics, It Starts with One. The musical sound is generated on the spot by the clarinetist, but is combined in up to eight simultaneous layers of live looping using Ableton Live.

The Wolf and the Lamb - Winchester premiere

2010-06-23T23:24:00.000-04:00

The first performance of my children's opera The Wolf and the Lamb is this Sunday in Winchester, VA on the campus of Shenandoah University. For details, click here to visit The Wolf and the Lamb event page on Facebook. Bring your kids or bring your self (the comedy is funny for all ages). It's short! It will make you laugh! It has people dressed up as animals singing the blues, dancing the conga line, and parodying well-known opera!

Premiere Saturday

2010-04-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 10, 2010 is Melissa Chavez's next doctoral voice recital, "Ain't It a Pretty Night," in Armstrong Concert Hall on Shenandoah University's campus. ...featuring music by American composers, including arrangements of two of my three new orchestral songs (note: the March concert on which the Three Orchestral Songs were to be premiered has been postponed by Symphony of the Valley -- I'll post new date when I have it). The arrangement of "Good Morning Midnight" is the same voice and piano arrangement that was performed at an SU performance forum a few weeks ago. The arrangement of "Come, Gentle Night" is a new arrangement for voice, flute, and piano.

Recital in Front Royal

2010-03-07T13:21:00.001-05:00

Looking for something to do at 4pm today? Melissa is giving a recital at Front Royal Presbyterian Church, including the piano version of "Good Morning Midnight" (one of my three new songs for soprano and orchestra, text from the poem by Emily Dickinson).

Another reason to donate to Haiti earthquake relief

2010-02-11T22:02:00.001-05:00

If you need another reason to donate to the relief effort following the massive earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, you can now deduct your donation from your 2009 tax return.

Rehearsals under way for Three Orchestral Songs

2010-01-27T23:38:00.000-05:00

Just attended the first rehearsal for my new piece-in-progress titled Three Orchestral Songs, to be premiered by the Symphony of the Valley on March 20 and 21. Many thanks to Maestro David Fanning and the players for all their ideas and a great collaborative spirit! Visit http://symphonyofthevalley.com/concerts.html for more info.

Google's move: will it spur positive change in China?

2010-01-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

Official Google Blog: A new approach to China

Another orchestra premiere

2009-12-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

I've just been asked to write a new piece for the Symphony of the Valley, to be premiered March, 2010.

The Wolf and the Lamb at BYU

2009-11-17T23:04:00.003-05:00

The Wolf and the Lamb will be performed at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT this season. Just shipped out the scores today. I'll post time and date once I received them.

"Are you doing it to make a No. 1 record...?"

2009-09-12T23:32:00.004-04:00

"Are you doing it to make a No. 1 record, or are you doing it to invoke conversation, to make art, to push the culture? That’s way more important than a No. 1 record.” -Jay-Z

Somalia...still a humanitarian crisis

2009-08-09T20:13:00.002-04:00

Though seldom found on the American front page anymore, the humanitarian crisis in Somalia is still desperate. This photo essay a msnbc.com gives a brief, engaging glimpse into the dangerous ocean journey attempted by thousands of refugees each year, from choas in Somalia to poverty in Yemen. Click here to view.

According to the photo essay, "The refugees are given first aid, food, water and a complete medical examination by Doctors Without Borders when they reach the Yemeni shore." Learn more or contribute at http://doctorswithoutborders.org.

The Wolf and the Lamb at Crittenden

2009-07-20T22:26:00.004-04:00

Got to visit the Crittenden Summer Opera Workshop this past Thursday for a rehearsal of my children's opera The Wolf and the Lamb. It was great fun to work with all the singers, see another director's take on the staging, and especially to encourage the singers and the pianist to explore all different styles--especially styles of vocal production--in performing the music (blues, rock, funky, speech-like, caricature-operatic, etc.). It looks like rehearsing my music is often going to involve giving the performers permission to have fun with their instruments/voices in ways they are not used to, even in ways they may think aren't "proper."... and that's fine with me! My thanks go to Richard Crittenden and Elizabeth Vrenios for choosing my opera as part of their workshop and to the staff and singers for helping it come to life.

The new Iranian Revolution

2009-06-17T21:41:00.002-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/world/middleeast/17media.html

Wyclef Jean's Hopes For Haiti

2009-05-30T13:32:00.001-04:00

How one musician is trying to make a difference in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4713518n

Don't forget Haiti

2009-03-31T21:35:00.002-04:00

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere needs us just as much (maybe more) during the global recession. Click here for video.

Global conscience

2008-12-27T21:31:00.003-05:00

It's time to make a difference.

This is what I've wanted to do for a while -- make a difference. I have long wanted to make a difference through music, and through the way I interact with the people I meet.

The more I learn about people in desperate need around the world (including in the U.S.A.), the more I feel obligated to help -- to make a difference. So many are in desperate need, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. When I came back from Mexico (the first mission trip I ever went on), I felt that the USA was a third world country, spiritually, more so than I felt that the Baja California peninsula of Mexico was poor. Though some Americans are desperately materially poor, millions of Americans live with material riches that are almost unimaginable in many parts of the world.

Our poverty is in our capacity to ignore a needy person and to ignore God (which, according to one famous parable, can sometimes be one and the same) and continue in our mediocre, materially comfortable existence.

I want to stop ignoring those who can be all too easy to temporarily ignore -- God, starving children, those living under violent oppression. I want to break out of my comfortable mediocrity.

Mahler in Gear

2008-08-10T12:58:00.004-04:00

Check out this awesome logo for a performance of Mahler's third (I think...) in Barcelona.

http://www.auditori.cat/seccions/programacio/fitxa.aspx?idconcert=461&cicle_id=71

What is church?

2008-08-10T12:54:00.002-04:00

What is church? Where do I find it?

Is it a building?

Is it a group of people?

Is it a feeling?

Is it an organization, a structure of decision-makers and decision-followers?

Is it a body?

Is it an idea? A Concept?

And then, what is it like?

Is it bland? Does it have passion? Does it matter? Does it mean anything?

Who speaks for church? Who speaks for God?

Something to say, Part 1

2007-08-24T14:46:00.000-04:00

Many times when I am writing music, I ask myself: do I really have something to say? Or perhaps: what do I have to say?

And I ask myself that same question here.

The question applies to all of life, really. I see many people (and sometimes myself) moving through life, but not really sure of where they are going. At this point in history, it's easy to find plenty to distract us from a problem which becomes much more pressing as we near our end: what does it all mean?

What does it all mean? What have I been living for? Is there something worth living for, aiming for, striving for, working for? Do I have a mission, a cause, a reason to stand up for something? And does it matter? When I die, will all my striving simply dissipate in the wind like sand, or will it mean something more than my lifespan can hold?

We are the rich.

2007-02-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Pastor Dan's sermon this morning sort of bowled me over.

It was a sermon about money, but not a sermon in which the preacher was asking for money (for himself or the church). It was a sermon about how greed is a form of impurity in our hearts just like sexual impurity.

I've spent so much time on eBay and other sites, looking for things which for some reason I really really want. Often, these things will, I think, help me fulfill God's calling on my life as a musician. And yet, the desire for these things sometimes takes over my heart and my time way more than it should.

Pastor Dan gave us statistics that I'd heard before about how we really are the world's richest people, but this time it hit me more than ever before. There really are millions of people in the world who don't even have clean water or a place to sleep. As he said, if they were standing in front of us telling us their story, we would probably empty our pockets and give what we could to help them.

Toward the end of the sermon, he brought up the question posed to Jesus in Luke chapter 5 verse 29: "And who is my neighbor?"

Then Pastor Dan had us do something really unusual. We we to pair up and check the tag on our partner's shirt to see where the shirt was made. He the asked us to, as much as possible, shout out one at a time where our shirts were made. The list was astounding. We heard places like:

"Vietnam!"
"Laos!"
"Alabama!"
"Brunei!"
"Asia!"
"Hong Kong!"

My shirt was made in Honduras.

And then Pastor Dan ended his sermon with: "The person who made your shirt is your neighbor." And during the final prayer, he asked us all to say a silent prayer for the person who made our shirt.

In this country, in the Western world even, we have so much of the wealth of the world. And we--and I--spend so much of it on ourselves...on myself. We have got to do something about this greed in our hearts.

To get an idea of how rich you are, visit www.globalrichlist.com (if you are from the USA, be careful to change the currency from pounds to dollars). To hear the entire amazing sermon, check out Calvary's website at www.calvarysc.org or click here to go straight to the sermon audio page and listen to the sermon for February 18.