Shadows of Anne-Sophie

Earlier today i had a conductor rehearsal with Maestro Eschenbach and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on the Brahms Violin Concerto in preparation for the Philadelphia Orchestra's Opening Night extravaganza for their 2007-2008 concert season. Several Philly Orchestra colleagues' eyebrows went up in puzzlement when they passed me waiting in front of the Maestro's studio - "Why in the world would she need to rehearse that piece? She already knows that one backwards and forwards!" All i could do was shrug my shoulders and smile - what did it matter? i was looking forward to working with one of the world's most renowned classical musicians!

Backwards and forwards indeed! The Brahms sounded nothing short of exquisite under Ms. Mutter's hands. Such power and comfortable command of that fearsome piece! And yet, she managed to find extraordinary moments to weave supple rubatos and highly personal statements that wonderfully complimented the towering artifices of the concerto.

i think Maestro Eschenbach likes to show off my Tablet PC whenever i show up for these conductor rehearsals - he seems to carry such a twinkle in his eye whenever guest artists ogle at my digital music setup, and Ms. Mutter was no exception to that reaction. Best moment during the rehearsal: Ms. Mutter leaning over during the exposition to ask me, "How do you turn the pages?" i replied, "With my left foot!"

We didn't get to go through the entire work, just key spots for tempi and transitions. What was worse, the Maestro and Ms. Mutter were in such a hurry at the end to get back to the main orchestra rehearsal that i didn't get a chance to snag a tourist picture with Ms. Mutter. Oh well...at least she was kind enough to give me her digital autograph...

...and i'll have to settle for this picture as proof of my short, yet extraordinary rehearsal with such a magnificent musician!

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MMT #40 - Interview with Soprano Jacquelyn Familant

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What defines the classical musician today? How does a conservatory graduate hone his or her artistic identity and find an career in the process? Hugh Sung explores some of those questions with soprano Jacquelyn Familant, a Curtis alumn who is currently enjoying an international career. The winner of several prestigious competitions, Ms. Familant has received worldwide acclaim for repertoire ranging from lyric opera to contemporary works. Not resting on her laurels, Ms. Familant also lends her expertise in publicity and marketing to other up-and-coming musicians (as well as to some well-established artists, such as composer Christopher Rouse).

A Tasty Compliment

Eric - my finicky-taste-budded 9-year old - told me last night that he thinks i make the best dinners ever! That garnered a hearty hug from me and a huffy pout from my mother-in-law! Wish i could take <i>all</i> the culinary credit, but this is really another feather in the cap for <a href="http://e-mealz.com/index.shtml">MealtimeMakeover.com</a>, the weekly dinner and grocery planning service that's been a lot of fun for my whole family. The only complaint i have is that portions tend to be a lot bigger than my family of 6 is accustomed to eating. Even with leftovers for lunch, i'm finding that i have to throw away older dishes that don't get consumed fast enough. That quibble aside, it's been nothing short of a culinary adventure for everyone with easy-to-find ingredients and super-simple cooking instructions! Who knew cooking could be this much fun?

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog

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Life by One Thousand Cuts

i thought this title was a clever take on how effective little adjustments in my monthly budget have been to bringing fiscal sanity to the Sung household (but i hope it's not too grisly a reminder of that old Chinese form of torture/execution, "Death by One Thousand Cuts"...) While there were some large "windfalls" that helped to take a huge chunk out of our debt snowball since May, the most significant points of progress has been in little things like packing lunches for myself and the kids, controlling grocery costs thanks to plans like the ones offered by <a href="http://www.MealTimeMakeover.com">MealTimeMakeover.com</a>, and plugging up little dollar leaks in previously "insignificant" areas like kids' haircuts, eating out, even Starbucks and snack money. As mentioned previously, lots of monthly savings are forthcoming with the switch in car and life insurance policies, and that makes it all look like we'll be attacking the last of our four big debts within the next month or so! If we manage to keep up this pace, it's very possible that by this time next year we'll be able to post a video of the Sung family screaming "WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEEE!!"

Wouldn't it be nice for once to start living in a way that breaks free of the old "starving artist" adage? i'm slowly learning what it means to curb my appetite for expensive toys and impulse items (no "Halo 3 XBox 360 for me, thank you very much...), and concurrently finding creative ways to be content with whatever's on hand (my 3 year old Samsung i730 Pocket PC phone still works just fine as an iPhone "don't-need-it-now" device! Oh, and the joys of discovering my <a href="http://iii.camden.lib.nj.us/search~S8">local library</a>!)

Yep...that <a href="http://daveramsey.com">crazy man on the radio</a> is making me do strange things...and the scary thing is that it all seems to be working so far!

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog
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How Lovely Shines the Morning Star

For many years i've worked on setting psalms and hymn texts to new musical settings for congregational worship. All my arrangements have always been completely copyright-free with no recompense required whatsoever - these have been written with the simple hope that Churches today can find musical material that puts its primary emphasis on the richness of Biblical text and great doctrine in a way that everyday folk can approach. I'm not a composer, so i'm highly self-conscious about making any pretenses in trying to be one given my immense respect for those who have dedicated their artistic lives to honing that craft. Nevertheless, it's a thrill to share this rendition of one of my hymn settings by The Kings Chamber Orchestra, directed by cellist extraordinaire Gerard Le Feuvre! This track will be part of a new album by the orchestra to be released in about 2 months' time. For this recording and similar, seek out the Kings Chamber Orchestra at www.kingschamberorchestra.co.uk.

The almost-17th century text by Philipp Nicolai is as follows:

How Lovely Shines the Morning Star Text by Philipp Nicolai, 1599 Music by Hugh Sung 1. How love-ly shines the Morn-ing Star! The na-tions see and hail a-far The light in Ju-dah shi-ning Thou, Da-vid's Son of Ja-cob's race, My Bride-groom and my King of Grace, For Thee my heart is pin-ing. Low-ly, Ho-ly, Great and glo-rious, Thou vic-tor-ious Prince of grac-es, Fill-ing all the heav'n-ly plac-es. 2. Now rich-ly to my wait-ing heart, O Thou, my God, deign to im-part The grace of love un-dy-ing. In Thy blest bod-y let me be, E'en as the branch is in the tree, Thy life my life sup-ply-ing. Sigh-ing, cry-ing, For the sav-or Of Thy fav-or; Rest-ing nev-er Till I rest in Thee for-ev-er. 3. Thou, might-y Fa-ther, in Thy Son Didst love me ere Thou hadst be-gun This an-cient world's foun-da-tion. Thy Son hath made a friend of me, And when in spi-rit Him I see, I joy in tri-bu-la-tion. What bliss is this! He that liv-eth To me giv-eth Life for-ev-er; Noth-ing me from Him can sev-er.

If you'd like to have a free copy of the PDF with the piano score and lead sheet, please visit http://ccpc-pca.com/303500.php for a list of all my worship song arrangements. You can also download it directly from this link. For a list of my psalm arrangements, please visit http://ccpc-pca.com/303100.php.

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog

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Hugh Sung
Hugh Sung
Hugh Sung
Hugh Sung
Hugh Sung
Hugh Sung

hugh sung
hugh sung
hugh sung
hugh sung
hugh sung
hugh sung

How Lovely Shines the Morning Star

For many years i've worked on setting psalms and hymn texts to new musical settings for congregational worship. All my arrangements have always been completely copyright-free with no recompense required whatsoever - these have been written with the simple hope that Churches today can find musical material that puts its primary emphasis on the richness of Biblical text and great doctrine in a way that everyday folk can approach. I'm not a composer, so i'm highly self-conscious about making any pretenses in trying to be one given my immense respect for those who have dedicated their artistic lives to honing that craft. Nevertheless, it's a thrill to share this rendition of one of my hymn settings by The Kings Chamber Orchestra, directed by cellist extraordinaire Gerard Le Feuvre! This track will be part of a new album by the orchestra to be released in about 2 months' time. For this recording and similar, seek out the Kings Chamber Orchestra at www.kingschamberorchestra.co.uk.

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The almost-17th century text by Philipp Nicolai is as follows:

How Lovely Shines the Morning Star Text by Philipp Nicolai, 1599 Music by Hugh Sung 1. How love-ly shines the Morn-ing Star! The na-tions see and hail a-far The light in Ju-dah shi-ning Thou, Da-vid's Son of Ja-cob's race, My Bride-groom and my King of Grace, For Thee my heart is pin-ing. Low-ly, Ho-ly, Great and glo-rious, Thou vic-tor-ious Prince of grac-es, Fill-ing all the heav'n-ly plac-es. 2. Now rich-ly to my wait-ing heart, O Thou, my God, deign to im-part The grace of love un-dy-ing. In Thy blest bod-y let me be, E'en as the branch is in the tree, Thy life my life sup-ply-ing. Sigh-ing, cry-ing, For the sav-or Of Thy fav-or; Rest-ing nev-er Till I rest in Thee for-ev-er. 3. Thou, might-y Fa-ther, in Thy Son Didst love me ere Thou hadst be-gun This an-cient world's foun-da-tion. Thy Son hath made a friend of me, And when in spi-rit Him I see, I joy in tri-bu-la-tion. What bliss is this! He that liv-eth To me giv-eth Life for-ev-er; Noth-ing me from Him can sev-er.

If you'd like to have a free copy of the PDF with the piano score and lead sheet, please visit http://ccpc-pca.com/303500.php for a list of all my worship song arrangements. You can also download it directly from this link. For a list of my psalm arrangements, please visit http://ccpc-pca.com/303100.php.

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MMT #39: Interview with Saxophonist/Blogger Brian Sacawa

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Catch my interview with classical saxophonist and uber-blogger Brian Sacawa, taped immediately after our recital together in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. The fact that Brian is an extraordinary musician is a given - his prolific pursuits ranging from writing a cutting-edge blog on culture and literature (www.SoundsLikeNow.com) to competitive cycling and experimental collaborations gives a fascinating insight into the life of a 21st century renaissance artist.

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MMT #39: Interview with Saxophonist/Blogger Brian Sacawa

Click to Play

Catch my interview with classical saxophonist and uber-blogger Brian Sacawa, taped immediately after our recital together in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. The fact that Brian is an extraordinary musician is a given - his prolific pursuits ranging from writing a cutting-edge blog on culture and literature (www.SoundsLikeNow.com) to competitive cycling and experimental collaborations gives a fascinating insight into the life of a 21st century renaissance artist.

"Escualo" by Astor Piazzolla

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This is a terrific performance of "Escuala" ("The Shark") by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by the remarkable Accordionist Lidia Kaminska and performed by her in collaboration with Saxophonist Brian Sacawa and pianist Hugh Sung at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Enjoy!!

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"Escualo" by Astor Piazzolla

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This is a fantastic performance of "Escualo" by Astor Piazzolla, arranged by Accordionist Lidia Kaminska, and performed by her in collaboration with Saxophonist Brian Sacawa and pianist Hugh Sung. This took place as part of the Summer Stars Series at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey on July 27, 2007. Enjoy!

New CD: Global Flutescape with Jan Vinci

At long last - my new CD with flutist Jan Vinci is now available through Amazon.com and iTunes! Check it out!

Click the above image to place an order via Amazon.com.

The following composers and works are featured:

Der Abreiss-Kalender: Miniaturen Suite for flute and piano (1955) [Breitkopf- print to order] Heinz Benker (1921-2000)
Mei for solo flute (1962) [Suvini Zerboni] Kazuo Fukushima (b. 1930)
And Then, Things Changed for flute and piano (2003) [publ. by composer] Hsueh-Yung Shen (b. 1952)
Suite de Ballet for flute and piano (ca. 1924) [OUP] Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Passacaille, opus 35 for flute and piano (July 1924) [Durand] Rhené-Baton (1879-1940)
When I See You for flute and alto saxophone (2006) [MV Music] Mark Vinci (b. 1960)
Introduction and Variations on the Hatikvah for flute and piano (1980-2006), [publ. by composer] Norman Thibodeau (b. 1959)
Lullaby for 2 flutes and piano (1990) [Lawdon Press] Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
Sonatina for flute and piano (March 1920) [Bongiovanni] by Vittorio Rieti (1898-1994)

For the background story on the recording sessions for this CD, check out these blog posts.

Jan also informs me that she now has her own website at www.JanVinci.com, so be sure to visit her there!

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The Power of the "OFF" Button

i mentioned previously the painful amputation of the unlimited data plan for my Samsung i730 PDA Phone, as well as the new household rule of turning off stuff (mainly my computers) when they're not in use. The sudden lack of instant internet access anywhere, anytime has resulted in some strange side effects - most notably, peace of mind and a better focus during work.

David Allen in his "Getting Things Done" principles talks about how emptying the mind - mental "RAM", if you will - results in significantly less stress and better productivity. i never noticed how non-stop my mental engine had been running until i started setting up the new "off button" boundaries. Having computers on 24/7 keeps you constantly connected, constantly wondering about that next email, never able to completely "shut off" thoughts about work, communication, to-do's, projects, the list goes on and on. i never realized how glazed my focus had always been when my kids clamored for attention or my mother-in-law called me repeatedly to come down for dinner or my wife was mentioning things that happened to her at work. Instant, ubiquitous access to information in many ways made me a slave to the almighty connection; a data-addict if you will, never more than a few seconds away from checking emails or browsing my RSS feeds.

With the introduction of the "off" button has come the inclusion of a strange new word into my vocabulary: "NO."

"NO, i don't need to check for that next email."

"NO, all that paperwork can wait until later."

"NO, i don't need to waste three hours browsing and surfing - it's more fun playing 'Clue' with the kids."

I'm beginning to like this new life of computers that are "off" - and, boy, i never realized how loud the CPU fan gets at night!

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Money Food Fight Mini-Update

Just a quick update from our first meal on the MealtimeMakeover.com plan - the chicken mushroom linguine dish was a huge hit with the kids, particularly finicky eater Eric who asked for 3 helpings!

Quick and easy to make - i'm really looking forward to seeing how well the other dishes turn out. One thing to keep in mind is that for those who are intermediate cooks, you might not want to follow every recipe or grocery list item to the letter - the Caesar salad package was unsatisfactory by itself (it was the first time i'd bought one of those pre-fab salad kits), so i supplemented it with my own salad recipe. But if you use the shopping lists and recipes as general guidelines with room for creative modifications where necessary, it looks like you'll have more than enough leeway to create some very satisfactory meals on a very reasonable budget with little to no waste afterwords.

i'll keep updating our experiences with this meal/shopping plan as we take our tummies for further taste tests. Definitely a promising start!

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog

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The Money Food Fight

Since May, we've knocked off over $7,000 from our debt snowball - feels pretty good to be on a roll! Still a long way to go until we can scream "we're debt free!!!", but it's amazing how one starts to find extra ways to save money once the determination set in. It really does feel like we've been giving ourselves "bonuses", as several folks have commented regarding the home budgeting process.

As i review each month's budget, i've been banging my head trying to find new ways to save little pockets of money here and there - as i mentioned in my "Dandelion Wine" article, i've gone as far as changing/downgrading car insurance, starting the process of switching away from whole life to term life insurance, and even learning how to cut my kids' hair! One area i hadn't actually considered was the grocery budget. We're not extravagant eaters, and we stopped buying junk food for the most part, but i couldn't help wondering if there was any way to trim a $250/week expense for food shopping.

i happened across an advertisement on the Dave Ramsey Show for MealtimeMakeover.com, an online grocery and dinner planning service from www.e-mealz.com. For about $5 per month, you receive weekly shopping lists that can either be tailored to Wal-Mart, Kroger, or "Anyplace" supermarkets (the latter being my option) to take advantage of both seasonal and sale items. Typical dinner plans feed 4-6 people, and the meals can be customized to an extent to accommodate low-fat, low-carb, or other options. They claim that by following this shopping and cooking plan, you can keep your weekly shopping bill to about $75.

Well, i'm putting the plan for a test spin and will report back the results in about a week or so. One thing to keep in mind is that the plan only covers dinner meals (i emailed the webmistress about considering lunch plans for families with kids - she told me that it's in the works, so be sure to keep an eye out for that), so you'll still have to contend with lunch and breakfast budgets if you plan to cook all those meals as well.

Another complication is ethnic cooking. Shopping at the Korean grocery store can be quite expensive, but necessary in my family's case. i'll have to figure out the best balance between the meals we replace on the online plan and our regular Korean diet, but my wife was able to pare down some of the Korean shopping already this morning (only about $30, as opposed to the normal $100+ for an HMart run...) My bill at the local supermarket came to about $120 - like i said, extra padding needs to be considered when including breakfasts and lunches in your shopping, but this is still a huge improvement over picking up groceries willy-nilly...

Of course, no online plan will work if the meals taste lousy...wish us luck, i'm trying the Chicken Mushroom over Linguine recipe tonight...

MMT#37- Mad Cow Festival Visual Recital Workshop

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Partnering with the Notes at 9,000 Emerging Artist Series, we developed a pilot Visual Recital Workshop for the 2007 Mad Cow Festival, where amateur artists created mixed media visuals for synchronized live performance to the music of Debussy. I collaborated with winners of the Emerging Artist Series competition in a fantastic concert combining dance, music, and visuals in a format that one listener proclaimed as "the future of live classical concerts!" With the Visual Recital Workshop, the audience member is immersed in the performance and plays a vital participatory role as co-creator with the musician. Many thanks to SoYoung Lee, Amy J. Clark, Charmain Schuh, and the creative team at The Dairy for this innovative approach to the live concert experience! Here's the video storyboard:

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog

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MMT #36 - Interview with Gary Schocker

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Last week i had the opportunity to work with Gary Schocker at his Flute Seminar in Poughskeepie, NY. Gary Schocker is one of those fascinating artists that seem to live several lives concurrently. A world-renowned flutist, a remarkable pianist, and a prolific composer, Gary's artistic career is as unique as his mirepoix of talents. Gary is the most published living composer of literature for the flute.

Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com Hugh Sung www.hughsung.com http://hughsung.com www.hughsung.com/blog http://hughsung.com/blog