Henry Flurry

Premiere of "1912" Coming Up

news@henryflurry.com — 2012-02-05T20:54:51-07:00

On February 12, 2012, Prescott POPS Symphony is to premiere "1912," my 15 minute orchestral work celebrating the Arizona centennial that they commissioned for the concert.

The work is in four movements, inspired by poetry of Martha Kirby Capo.

You can preview the score and audio files at www.nathana.com/1912. At that site, you'll also find the poems that Martha Kirby Capo wrote and program notes about the piece.

I will be conducing the piece. It has been an honor to rehearse the POPS symphony on this work and I look forward to its performance!

The San Tan Orchestra will also be playing "1912" on February 25 and 26.

Guitar Chords for Book 1 Piano Repertoire

news@henryflurry.com — 2011-06-17T12:24:56-07:00

At the aforementioned Suzuki Academy, in one of my repertoire classes I accompanied the students with my new Martin Guitar. I invited parents to bring guitars if they had one (one did) and I passed out guitar chords for them to play along.

I uploaded the Guitar Chords that I typed up to here. Feel free to download them, use them, and offer any feedback you might have.

Chaparral MusicFest Suzuki Academy

news@henryflurry.com — 2011-06-12T12:16:38-07:00

Wow! What a week with the Academy!

Violinist Laura Tagawa and I are co-Directors of the Chaparral MusicFest Suzuki Academy. This year we are a Suzuki Association of the Americas sanctioned institute. Violinist Sarah deLaveaga, Suzuki violin teacher Barbara McClymonds, and percussionist Maria Flurry all chipped in for the extra-curricular classes and activities with the students.

The faculty recital with Laura, Sarah, Maria and myself was phenomenal on Wednesday evening. We played works by McLean, Saint-Saëns, Teleman, Mozart, Bartok, Bach, Faure, and (of course) Flurry.

The week with the students was intense, as usual, but we covered a lot. I love teaching the master classes with the students. It is rare as a teacher to be able to focus on only one piece for multiple lessons a row.

The final student recital on Saturday was inspiring. The pianist soloists all played with heart and confidence. The violinists played the group repertoire and fiddle tunes taught by Barbara. And one of the highlights, I thought, was when the pianists and violinists had the opportunity to play various duets together from my (still unpublished) 5-minute Duet series. These are short duets written for Suzuki violin and piano students that are designed to be taught in as a little as 5 minutes.

Some late nights for the co-Directors as we worked each evening for the next day, but I expect that each year's Institute will be easier and better than before. Feedback forms were universally quite positive, even from those who had attended the large Suzuki Institutes across the country.

Thanks, Laura, Sarah, Barbara, & Maria!

Many Farms High School Residency

news@henryflurry.com — 2011-03-27T12:06:45-07:00

I completed a one week residency on the Navajo Reservation last week with the music students of Many Farms High School. They have a fantastic piano lab up there with an enthusiastic teacher, Carol Ridley.

With the piano students, we worked on the basics of composing a melody, question and answer phrases, AABA form, using motifs, and writing harmonies for our melodies.

With the 13 member choir, we took the poetry of one of the students and set it to music. Here's the poem:

Last Day
by Jovonna Sandoval

The sweet scent of oaks and pines
in the morning after
A rainy night. The air is fresh,
the sun is barely peeking
over the mountains. She feels
the damp soil underneath
her moccasins as she runs.

She feel free, breathing
and filling her lungs with
cool, crisp, fresh air.
She runs back into the
hogan and catches her breath.

This is her last day as a
child. Now begins the rest
of her life as a mature
woman. Some think it's the
best feeling in the world,
to accept more responsibility
and challenges, and more freedom.

I really enjoyed my time with the students. They were very kind and engaged during the whole residency. I hope to visit there again next year!

Recital Honoring Schumann & Chopin

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-10-31T09:51:21-07:00

I had the opportunity to play on a recital last night with several other fine pianists from the area on a Prescott Fine Arts Association concert honoring the 200th birthdays of Schumann & Chopin.

I played my set of "cat pieces" entitled Three Pieces for Jasmine, and I premiered a set of short works entitled Three After Schumann's Album for the Young -- short works geared for students and inspired by three works in the Suzuki Piano repertoire: Happy Farmer, Melody, and The Wild Rider. Each of my works started with a concept from one of Schumann's pieces, and I used that concept as a basis for the short character piece I wrote.

Each of the pianists brought something magical to the concert. In particular, Christina Cuda-Robertson brought great joy to the piano, and Michael Mahany had us all laughing with his musical humor. And then the highlight of the evening (for me) was a performance by Steinway artist James Nalley of Liszt's Ballad #2 in B Minor. The performance was so stunning that it brought tears to my eyes.

Starting a Suzuki Piano & Violin Camp in Prescott, AZ

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-03-24T10:58:40-07:00

This summer (June 9 - 11, 2010), I and Suzuki violin teacher Laura Tagawa are starting a Suzuki Piano & Violin Camp (or, as we call it, Academy) in Prescott, Arizona. Currently, the nearest Suzuki camps are in Colorado, New Mexico, and California. With strong Suzuki contingents in Flagstaff and Tucson, one wonders why Arizona doesn’t have a camp.

We are not yet Suzuki Association of the Americas endorsed - that is a lengthy process that must start almost a year before the camp. Next year, we’ll expand the camp a bit and apply for SAA endorsement.

Visit our informational page and download our brochure and print out our registration forms for more info.

Code to process 3Jam Messages for WordPress Blog

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-03-24T09:33:14-07:00

In this post, I talked about my method for using a SMS number to receive text messages that then were automatically forwarded to a wordpress blog. Rather than have the text messages go directly to the blog, I wrote some scripts on my mail server to process the 3Jam messages and prettify them.

Here is what I did.

Collaboration

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-03-22T20:58:19-07:00

(This is a repost from my Prescott High School Wind Ensemble residency blog)

When I compose, I sometimes like to bounce ideas off of my wife, Maria. It has its risks, though. An idea that I have in my head may provoke a completely different reaction from her than what I envision. But one of the nice things about being married for almost 20 years is that I no longer need to tell her if I disagree with her. She can read that look in my face … the one that (unintentionally) says, “OK, I hear what you’re saying, but I disagree, and this conversation is no longer helping me.” And she politely backs off from her point and lets me take what ideas I did like from her.

I find it well worth bouncing ideas off of her, because sometimes, as a composer, I need a fresh perspective to throw in some new directions.

So, today I took a risk, and I learned what it was like to get fresh perspective from a high school band.

Dead White Men

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-02-03T14:57:45-07:00

(This is a repost from my Prescott High School Wind Ensemble residency blog)

I teach piano, and just about all of the music my students are expected to learn are written by dead white men. When the listen to the radio, they hear music written by people living very far away from them. We live in the world where composing music is very distant from your average student.

This is one of the reasons that I teach all of my piano students to compose. Among other reasons – its fun, it helps us learn how music is constructed (thus, making it easier to learn), and, like all creative endeavors, it validates our existence on this planet. (OK – maybe that’s a bit existential ... )

So, while chatting with the band members of my residency this Monday, I mentioned that one of the reasons I compose is that I get tired of playing (or, more accurately, teaching) only music that is written by dead or far away people.

And then, a lone voice came up from the flute section in front of me. ”I wish we played more music by dead people.”

Getting the Text Message to Blog Working

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-02-03T14:26:41-07:00

(This is a repost from my Prescott High School Wind Ensemble residency blog)

I visited the PHS Wind Ensemble on Monday to introduce the residency. Cool bunch! I’m looking forward to this. Last few days have been spent getting the technology working for this residency. On February 27, each of the students in the PHSWE are asked to document what they do during the whole day by texting or emailing the blog http://1dayphsband.wordpress.com/. Then, on March 1, the residency begins, and I work with the band to craft a new piece for them, based upon the events of the day that they documented.

Getting the technology to work took some time. The trick is – how do I get a phone number to which folks can text that will automatically go to the blog? It turns out that there are some services which will email you your texts.

High School Band Residency Starting

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-02-01T13:04:00-07:00

At the end of this month, I start a residency with the Prescott High School Wind Ensemble. The residency lasts about 7 weeks, during which time I visit the high school 5 times (plus once at the beginning of this month).

Using RapidWeaver to Generate Help Files for iPhone App

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-01-11T11:36:51-07:00

I’m no HTML guru. I can read it and, with great labor, write it. Since I use RapidWeaver for all of my websites, I decided to see if I could use RapidWeaver to create the help files on the iPhone app.

Here I describe my process for doing this.

Disabling Zoom in UIWebView

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-01-08T22:53:22-07:00

In an earlier post, I discussed various behavior differences of different document types within UIWebView. One of the uglier aspects of UIWebView is the extra margin that can appear in RTF or HTML pages after you’ve zoomed and then rotate the device.

Turns out that Apple has some iPhone specific META tags that can disable the zoom.

UIWebView Document Behavior Differences

news@henryflurry.com — 2010-01-02T11:39:09-07:00

I was trying to decide what document format to use for my help and about app panels. UIWebView is the obvious view of choice to use. UIWebView will display many different document formats, but I considered using 4 different possibilities: PDF, Pages, RTFD, and HTML.

Each document format behaves differently within UIWebView. Below is a summary of some of those differences.

Automatically converting and bundling audio files for iPhone app

news@henryflurry.com — 2009-12-30T15:59:19-07:00

If you’re working with sound sources that are not iPhone optimized, you can set up a custom XCode build rule to convert them and install them for your iPhone application.

iPhone Development

news@henryflurry.com — 2009-12-01T13:14:00-07:00

My previous passion has reared its ugly head, and I’ve been seduced into writing at least one application for the IPhone / iPod Touch.

Prescott Fine Arts Association presents 90 minutes of Flurry Music

news@henryflurry.com — 2009-03-14T13:50:51-07:00

The Prescott Fine Arts Association presented two concerts of music by Henry Flurry on March 14, 2009. Proceeds from the concert benefit PFAA’s music scholarship program.

Threnody premiered at Chaparral MusicFest

news@henryflurry.com — 2008-06-20T19:50:23-07:00

Threnody, a setting of a poem by Martha Kirby Capo, was premiered on June 13, 2008 at the New Music Arizona concert of the Chaparral MusicFest 2008. Martha’s poem is a reflection upon a young family’s loss of their first born. Martha, who ministered to this family within her church, remarked in an email to me, “That's one thing about working in a church -- you certainly have a lot of instances where you're called to walk with people through some very painful places.”

The settings is for string orchestra, marimba, and women’s choir. Layne Longfellow gave a moving reading of the poem to the audience prior to its performance.

Threnody
by Martha Kirby Capo
Copyright 2007

On a cold, rainy November
night James Michael died
as I cradled him in
my new mother's arms
we were so young and
now in the silent space of
a heartbeat
I am so old
and my new mother's
arms are empty.

The chill panes are misted
with my breath
indifferent raindrops
splatter turgid trickling
half-moon rivers
I do not see
their source I

cannot know their end.

James Michael has rested
on his seventh day of creation.

please
make
it
stop
raining

An All Flurry Concert + Other Projects Coming Up

news@henryflurry.com — 2007-09-27T19:27:26-07:00

A busy year for composing is shaping up ...

The Prescott Fine Arts Association has invited me to organize a concert of all Henry Flurry music, to be presented as their March concert for the 2008-2009 season. What an honor! Current plans are to include instrumental, piano, choral, and solo vocal music. More details as they come up.

Christina Cuda-Robertson is going to play a couple of short piano pieces of mine on a solo recital she is doing on October 28, 2007 at Prescott Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, to officially inaugurate their new piano. These works are part of a still in progress set of short character pieces called the Jasmine Series. Jasmine was our cat. After she died in 2002, I started writing some works that typify things she liked. Currently, scheduled for the recital are Hopping Sparrows and Fly On the Window. Christina is a fantastic pianist, and I encourage everybody to attend the recital to hear all of the music she will be performing.

I am beginning another collaboration with poet Martha Kirby Capo (also mentioned here). We will be writing some lullabies for the local group of woman singers called Womansong. They are hoping to perform some of these on a Mother's Day concert in 2008 and to record them on an upcoming CD.

And then there are the couple of other unconfirmed projects potentially coming up ....

Performances this Past Summer + Premiere of Beloved, My Home

news@henryflurry.com — 2007-08-25T19:07:14-07:00

I was lucky enough to have a few performances of my works this past summer.

On May 31, 2007 the bands of Ingleside Middle School of Scottsdale, AZ performed 2 band works of mine that were the result of a month long residency with that same school. The students of two bands had the opportunity to create story lines upon which each of the pieces would be based. I took their story lines and suggested styles and wrote a band piece for each band. The students had the opportunity to witness the creative process as I brought in parts of the new composition each week. In the end, they gave each piece a title that they chose and voted on. The two band works are called A Sinking Divorce and The House of Delusion. (I take zero credit for those titles!) It was a thrill to hear those kids play works they had a hand in creating.

On June 8, 2007, Skid-Krinkin' was finally performed by the two musicians who commissioned the work, Alison Shaw and Marty Erickson of Balance Duo. They performed it as part of the Chaparral MusicFest 2007. Thanks Marty & Allison!

On August 3, 2007, I had the incredible pleasure of accompanying on piano the lovely voice of John Hubert singing Three Poems of John Hall Wheelock on a recital at the 2007 Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network Conference in Clearwater, FL. What a treat! Thanks, John!

On August 19, 2007, the choir at Rayne Memorial Methodist Church in New Orleans, LA premiered a new choral work entitled Beloved, My Home. I wrote the work to honor the 50th anniversary of my parents (August 20, 2007). Rayne Memorial is their church, and their choir did a lovely job. This was the first collaborative effort with a neat poet named Martha Kirby Capo. She answered an email I sent to my UU Musician peers. I asked for suggestions for poetry to set for this occasion. Martha offered to write some, and what a lovely job she did! We will be working together more in the future.

Beloved, My Home
By Martha Kirby Capo, Copyright 2007

Our lives have been a sacrament,
Each to the other.
I added my breath to your breath,
And mingled my soul with your own.
No matter what roads we did travel,
Beloved, in you, was my home.

Our lives have been a sacrifice,
Each with the other.
Our branches, entwined, intersect;
Entangled, my roots are your own.
No matter what roads we now travel,
Beloved, in you, is my home.

Our lives have been a sacred gift,
Each for the other.
Enshrined in my heart, be at rest;
Enfolded, your heart is my own.
No matter what roads we will travel,
Beloved, in you, I've come home.

Skid-Krinkin' to be performed at Chaparral MusicFest

news@henryflurry.com — 2007-03-01T21:55:43-07:00

Skid-Krinkin' is currently scheduled to be performed at the Chaparral MusicFest on the evening of Friday, June 8, 2007 at the Elks Opera House in Prescott, AZ. More details will be posted as the concert date approaches.

Music of Henry Flurry to be Performed at the Elks Opera House Celebration, February 24, 2007, 7:30

news@henryflurry.com — 2007-02-16T00:18:56-07:00

As part of the Elks Opera House's 102nd anniversary celebration on February 24, 2007, Philip Dixon and Christina Cuda Robertson will be offering a repeat performance of Henry Flurry's song cycle Three Poems of John Hall Wheelock.

Information about the concert itself follows:

The historic opera house celebrates 102 years with a stylish reception at the Hassayampa Inn followed by a showcase of some of the best talent in town. Reception 6:00p.m. @ The Hassayampa Inn The inn's renowned chef will prepare delicious hors d'oeuvres for guests. There will also be a Silent Auction featuring beautiful gifts and service offerings. Guests will then be escorted to the theater in a red carpet procession accompanied by New Orleans jazz standard, "When the Saints Come Marching In." Theater Curtain: 7:30p.m. Elks Theater, 117 E. Gurley St., Prescott Tickets: $15 show only / $50 reception & show Sponsored by: Elks Opera House Foundation For more information call 928-771-2554.

Audio from the Song Cycle

news@henryflurry.com — 2007-02-16T00:05:07-07:00

Philip Dixon and Christina Cuda Robertson premiered Henry Flurry's song cycle Three Poems of John Hall Wheelock on January 20, 2007 at the Prescott Fine Arts Association.

Recordings of the premiere follow:

Henry Flurry's Spoken Introduction:

The Unknown Beloved:

Unrest:

Whenever Two Lovers Meet:

Thank you Philip & Christina for a wonderful performance!

Premiere of Song Cycle, January 20, 2007

news@henryflurry.com — 2006-12-29T15:50:18-07:00

Christina Cuda-Robertson (piano) and Philip Dixon (baritone) will premiere Henry Flurry's new song cycle Three Poems of John Hall Wheelock at the Prescott Fine Arts Association concert on January 20, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

The words to the poems set to music are as follows:

The Unknown Beloved

I dreamed I passed a doorway
Where, for a sign of death,
White ribbons one was binding
About a flowery wreath.

What drew me so I know not,
But drawing near I said,
"Kind sir, and can you tell me
Who is it here lies dead?"

Said he, "Your most beloved
Died here this very day,
That had known twenty Aprils
Had she but lived till May."

Astonished I made answer,
"Good sir, how say you so!
Here have I no beloved,
This house I do not know."

Quoth he, "Who from the world's end
Was destined unto thee
Here lies, thy true beloved
Whom thou shalt never see."

I dreamed I passed a doorway
Where, for a sign of death,
White ribbons one was binding
About a flowery wreath.

Unrest

These words are not in the public domain

Whenever Two Lovers Meet
(from Talismans Secrets and Deliverances)

Whenever two lovers meet
A new star in heaven is lit –
Heaven is the banner of love,
And night the memory of it.

The joyous embrace of love
Calls a new soul from its sphere
At the music of two hearts beating
God leans down to hear.

New Music Arizona Concert Premieres Skid-Krinkin'

news@henryflurry.com — 2006-10-08T22:31:23-07:00

Thomas Murphy and Dennis Askew premiered my Skid-Krinkin' today at the New Music Arizona concert held at the Phoenix Art Museum. A recording of the work can be found here:

Or downloaded from here.

The concert featured music from composers residing in Arizona. A copy of the program can be found here.

Skid-Krinkin' was commissioned by Balance Duo. Since Balance Duo was unable to perform the piece on October 8, they graciously allowed others to premiere the work that day.

Download area added

news@henryflurry.com — 2006-10-12T02:22:54-07:00

I've added a download area of some documents I use in my teaching. Feel free to use and modify these documents.

Fall 2006 Recital

news@henryflurry.com — 2006-10-05T21:19:23-07:00

Congratulations to all of my students for one of the best recitals yet! Everybody played great, and the Beethoven Skit afterwards was hilarious. Congratulations, Group C class! A few pictures that came out can be found here. A copy of the recital program can be downloaded from here.