Happy 2012!

It is a new year, and that is a good enough reason to look back a bit and then to make a few plans. I ask for the indulgence of any readers. Even though this blog is mostly a way to explore thoughts and feelings about different issues, it is also a professional site (sort of) that is an attempt to somewhat publicize my musical endeavors, so bear with me!

2011 was a wonderful, busy year. Our second son Wolfie was two months old the day it started, and now he is pushing 15 months! He's left babyhood behind (almost) and is moving straight towards toddlerhood.......headfirst with a jetpack on! Severin has used 2011 to leave toddlerhood behind and enter boyhood with all its inquisitiveness and imagination (and willfulness ;)

In 2011, I wrote and recorded the score to the documentary "Where Did The Horny Toad Go" and I played many recording sessions for artists like Green River Ordinance, Kelly Clarkson, K.C. Clifford, Jami Smith, Portraiture, and several others.

I was privileged to have my string piece "Oklahoma Trails" performed by Doug Newell and the Enid Symphony Orchestra. Then the recording was used to accompany the wonderful outdoor event "Enid's Night Of Generals" organized by Wade Burleson. The piece was originally commissioned and performed by David Koehn and the Edmond Memorial High School Orchestra in 2010.

I was also lucky enough to play a pair of reunion shows over the summer with my band The Fellowship Students. Great times were had by all!

Currently, I am preparing for the release of the album of "Where Did The Horny Toad Go" - in fact, after writing this blog I am going to listen to the master I just received from Garrett Haines at Treelady Studios. As I mentioned, the project was recorded here at my home studio, known as Galloping Cat Studios (I love the name so I had to mention it. Even now I am hearing the sound of a cat galloping down our hallway).

I also have re-releases of some of my earlier albums that will see the light of day this year. They are remixed and remastered versions of two lo-fi EP's I did around 1999 and 2000. I am very excited to put them out there in a better form than I did back then.

I also hope to begin recording another project this year - the third in a series of albums in the vein I call "limited music" - songs/pieces recorded in the popular idiom drawing inspiration from classical composition in the sense that they are limited to a specific instrumentation. My chosen "limitation" is restricting the recordings to cello, acoustic guitar and voice. The first two records in the series are "Light Plays On A Pearl" (2006), also recorded without any effects, and "The Twin or The Seed" (2007).

And of course there is "normal" work to do. Teaching lessons, playing gigs, etc.

I do have plans to write more this year. My goal is to keep posts reasonably brief and somewhat often - perhaps breaking different ideas up into series of posts. One of my two main goals is to write about my novice understanding of meditation and hopefully to get a few readers to participate with me in attempting meditation more often and sharing our insights. One of my primary reasons for this is to simply get myself meditating regularly again. In my brief, "amateur"experiences, the effects on my life have been profound.

My other goal is to present a series called "Theology From The Plain" where I explore my framework for seeing "that which is". It will not be super organized, but once again, my attempts will hopefully be reasonably brief and often. I hope this will help keep things pleasant and somewhat interesting for any readers who are generous enough with their time to stop by this site and explore with me.

That's what blogs are for right? We explore as readers and writers - in posts, in comments and in our personal thoughts.

I wish you the very best in all of your endeavors this year!


ADDITION - Thanks to Burk for reminding me that I also want to start posting more about music!

"Oklahoma Trails" Performance!

I am very excited that this weekend the Enid Symphony will be performing my string piece "Oklahoma Trails"! I am also exited to be playing in the cello section for we will also be performing Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty Suite. Here is a link to the story in the Enid News & Eagle:

http://enidnews.com/entertainment/x1623043324/ESO-to-present-Vacatello-Stark/print

"Oklahoma Trails" press release

The Edmond Memorial High School Orchestra Presents a World Premiere.

“Oklahoma Trails” is the name of a brand new string piece set to premiere at the Edmond Memorial Orchestra’s Spring concert. The work was commissioned by OPUS, the orchestra’s parents association, with a grant from the Edmond Arts Council.

David Koehn, the orchestra director at Edmond Memorial, had the idea back in the fall. “I wanted to give the orchestra students the chance to work on something different for their final concert this year. Premiering a piece by a local composer just seemed to fit this ensemble.”

Koehn approached his friend, Oklahoma City musician Steven Stark, with the idea. Stark jumped at the chance to write a new piece for a local group. “My first thought was - I have to write something that highlights something about Oklahoma. My wife and son and I are frequent visitors to the Oklahoma City Zoo, so the Oklahoma Trails exhibit quickly came to mind.”

The piece is meant to evoke feelings reminiscent of the landscape and wildlife of Oklahoma. Stark decided not to be too specific in his musical representation. “I did not want to associate specific animals or areas with certain parts of the piece. I wanted to suggest a topic, create a mood, and then allow listeners and players the freedom to interpret as they see fit. Within that context, I set out to write themes the players could really sink their bows in to. I also tried to give important parts to every section - to keep all the players engaged.”

Premiering a brand new piece is a unique experience for a high school orchestra, but the students have been receptive to the new piece, says Koehn. “They have expressed several times that they have enjoyed working with the composer in person, rather than only through me as the teacher. It allows them a chance to see the music with a different perspective.”

The concert is at Edmond Memorial High School on Tuesday, May 11 at 6:00PM, with the high school portion beginning at 7:00PM. In addition to the premiere, the orchestra will play a variety of classical and popular pieces, including works by Benjamin Britten and Stephen Sondheim.

For more information contact Steven Stark at stevenstarkmusic@gmail.com or at 405-314-1190 or visit www.stevenstarkmusic.com

"Oklahoma Trails" program notes

Bison, mountain lions, wolves and bats are among the many animals that fill the Oklahoma Trails exhibit at the Oklahoma City Zoo. This gathering of Oklahoma’s native creatures provided the inspiration for this new piece, written for the Edmond Memorial High School String Orchestra.

The violins and violas set the tone with quiet tremolos as the piece begins. Soon, the cellos present the main theme - a reflection on the solemn beauty and wildness found in Oklahoma’s rolling landscapes. The violins take up the melody in a different key as it grows into a sudden acceleration. The different sections trade sixteenth note figures as the theme is developed into a frenzied tremolo.

Pizzicato in the cellos begins the second section of the piece. The violins and violas present a simple motif of rising fifths representing the expansiveness of the Oklahoma plains. This idea is passed around until a new, adventurous theme emerges, and a rising dissonance begins to overwhelm its development. The music soon calms again as soloists from each section lead an introspective transition back into the original theme. An aggressive ostinato figure in the basses begins a final swell into the climactic moments of the piece. Tremolos take us back to the solemnity of the opening as the piece quietly fades to its end.

Special thanks to the young musicians of the Edmond Memorial High School Orchestra for approaching this new piece with a dedication to musicality and open mindedness. Thanks to director David Koehn for his excellent preparation and for asking me to compose a piece for his orchestra. Thanks to the Edmond Arts Council and OPUS, the Edmond Memorial Orchestra's parents association, for commissioning this work and thereby providing a new musical experience for all those involved.

Rehearsals....

......are going quite well at Edmond Memorial High School. In case you do not know, the orchestra commissioned me to write a string piece for them. The orchestra's parents group wrote a grant to the Edmond Arts Council who generously provided funds. The motivation was to give the kids a chance to work with a real flesh-and-blood composer by rehearsing and premiering a brand spanking new piece of music.

The result is "Oklahoma Trails", a seven minute piece inspired by the native creatures and landscapes of Oklahoma, as represented by the OKC Zoo exhibit bearing the same name. I will post the program notes soon. The premier of the piece will be May 11 at Edmond Memorial. The concert starts at 6 with the high school portion beginning at 7.

Rehearsals have been fantastic so far. David Koehn, the director and idea-man behind this project, called me after the first rehearsal. The kids dutifully played the piece albeit with a couple of raised eyebrows (after all, this isn't Mozart!).

By the time I attended my first rehearsal a couple of weeks ago, the group had rehearsed it a few times. I was greeted with some smiles, and I was absolutely blown away by how well the orchestra was already playing the piece! I received a couple of compliments, and I gave out many more. It really got me excited.

Last week, David let me lead the rehearsal, and we had a great time searching through the music for the themes and working on playing them expressively. I use the term "macro-dynamics" to describe overall volume levels specified for different sections of a piece (forte, piano, etc.). But to play a phrase expressively, one must usually employ "micro-dynamics" - a natural sounding rise and fall in volume, similar to the expressiveness we use in our speech. These micro-dynamics are not usually specified by a composer. Rather it is up to the performers to utilize them in their effort to play expressively. Dynamics are the Z axis of music. X is rhythm, Y is pitch, and Z is the dynamic level employed to reach out to your audience and then back away. It is what makes music 3-D! I listen to music in the car like everyone else, but the volume compression and distracted listening have taken something away from our sensibility about live music's dynamic possibilities.

The young musicians of Edmond Memorial's orchestra have responded beautifully and are capable of playing very expressively!

I look forward to another rehearsal tomorrow. We will continue to follow the melodic lines and play them expressively as they are passed around and developed between the sections.

If you are not busy on May 11, and you live close by, I would love to see you at the concert! These outstanding young musicians will be playing a variety of musical pieces and a world premiere is a pretty unique accomplishment for a high school group - for any group really!