WAMMIE AWARDS 2023!

I’m pleased to have been a judge once more for Washington DC’s WAMMIE Awards. The pool of nominees was diverse and talented. A real showcase for DC.  It was a pleasure listening to their work!

LIVE World Premiere of Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle for 2 violins!

My 2 violin version of Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle will finally receive its LIVE, IN-PERSON premiere with two performances on FiddleFest! at the San Pancho Music Festival on Friday, February 24, 2023 and on Virtuosos de Cámara’s concert at Incanto Teatro in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, February 26. I’m thrilled that the violin dynamic duo of Karen Bentley Pollick and Philip Brezina will once more be taking on my piece.

New & Timely Song & Video: DREAM

Even more awards and accolades for Light As Paper!

Yet even more awards and accolades for Light As Paper, the beautiful and evocative short film created by my friends and collaborators at Evolve Puppets (Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weill). It’s been selected by the Coney Island Festival (previously it was a selection for the 2021 Vienna International Film Awards, and Animovies Festival of Animated Objects.)! Light as a Feather uses excerpts from my chamber piece Pas de Deux (for cello and piano, the complete work can be heard HERE) as its score. You can catch it Saturday, September 17, 2022 as part of the Coney Island Film Festival!

Joel’s Latest Beatles Course At Stanford’s Continuing Studies: Rubber Soul & Revolver!

I’m excited to announce my next Beatles class offered through our friends at Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program:

MUS 02 The Songwriting of The Beatles: The Experimental Sounds of Rubber Soul and Revolver Fall 2022

Instructor: Dr. Joel Phillip Friedman

Course Date(s): Sept. 28—Oct. 26, Note: No class on October 5

Course Time: Wednesdays, 6:30—8:30 pm (Pacific Time)

Tuition: $315

Registering is EASY. Just click HERE, Registration opens Aug 22, 8:30 am (PT)

Course description: More than 50 years after they exploded onto the music scene, The Beatles still capture our imagination as few groups have. In this course, we will delve into The Beatles’ career, development, and songwriting process through a deep dive into two extraordinary albums, the “bookends” of Rubber Soul and Revolver, which marked the end of the band’s commercially driven era and a transition to a more experimental sound.

Recorded in the fall of 1965 and a decisive step away from Beatlemania, Rubber Soul showcased the band’s growing maturity as songwriters and studio artists. It was also their second complete album of originals after 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night. Steeped in equal parts Bob Dylan, Stax, and Motown soul, Rubber Soul illustrated how pop was rapidly shifting from discrete pop singles to album-length artistic statements. Revolver (1966) was a landmark—arguably their greatest album. With its explosion of influences—psychedelia, American soul, avant-garde European classical/electronic music, Hindustani classical music, and British music hall—Revolver was the album that opened up vast, new artistic spaces and changed rock history. It was also their first album that could not be easily or adequately performed by the band live on stage. The course will include lectures, discussions, and the opportunity to listen closely to individual tracks, as we examine the studio process, equipment, techniques, and songwriting craft that brought these albums to life.

For students who have previously taken this course a few years back, you know Joel, while the structure is the same, some of the content is new!

• Q: If I’m not a Stanford student or I don’t live near Stanford can I take this class?
• A: Absolutely. It is live online and people Stanford, and non-Stanford, from age 20 to 80 register from all over the world. And since it is delivered via Zoom enrollment is not limited like a class room. Every seat is a front row seat.
• Q: I want to take this class but…
  • I can’t on Wednesday nights due to a scheduling conflict
  • I can’t make all 4 sessions
• A: Don’t worry. The classes are recorded and available on our class Canvas site so you can access the recordings any time you want, as often as you want during the rest of the Fall Stanford quarter.
• Q: Will I be able to hear and see what’s going on?
• A: Yes. The audio/video quality of these presentations is terrific and only limited by your technology. It’s recommended that you use headphones or good computer speakers.
• Q: I hear Joel always does a post-class Q&A session. Is that true?
• A: Of course. You know Joel!

as always: A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Adjudicating the 2022 WAMMIES

The cat’s out of the bag: I was one of the local Industry Judges for the 2022 WAMMIES, the DMV Region’s Premiere Music Awards Show. The WAMMIES yield thousands of nominations for 60 award categories, representing 20+ genres and D.C.’s vibrant and impressive music community. Last night also recognized two visionary leaders of The Musicianship, the education powerhouse behind the awards: Jeffery Tribble Jr., founder and now CEO of Levine Music, and the newly-named CEO, Eric Liley.

Joel’s Latest Stanford Course: Four More by Sondheim! Starts April 29

My next Stanford class, MUS 178B Four More by Sondheim: West Side Story, Gypsy, A Little Night Music, and Pacific Overtures, will be offered through Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program (CSP) as a live virtual online course on 4 FRIDAYS: Apr 29—May 20 from 11:00 am—1:00 pm (PT).

A continuation of last spring’s Sondheim course, we will focus on four landmark musicals: two early works featuring Sondheim as lyricist only—West Side Story and Gypsy—and two musicals from his successful collaborative period with director Hal Prince—A Little Night Music and Pacific Overtures. We will dig into the music, the lyrics, the structure, the mechanics of what makes these musicals so fantastic and important, and why Sondheim deserves the praise and position in our culture.

Reminder: while this is a Stanford CSP course anyone can register, and the silver lining of a virtual course is… you don’t even have to leave your house to attend. Sondheim from the privacy of your living room? Yes, indeed! Over the past two years people have registered from across the country. You can register HERE. Want an even brighter silver lining? Those registered can access class recordings if you cannot make a session in-person, or simply want to watch it again later.

More awards and accolades for Light As Paper!

More awards and accolades for Light As Paper, the beautiful and evocative short film created by my friends and collaborators at Evolve Puppets (Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weill). First it was a selection for the 2021 Vienna International Film Awards, and now selected by Animovies Festival of Animated Objects. Light as a Feather uses excerpts from my chamber piece Pas de Deux (for cello and piano) as its score. You can catch it streaming through April 30 ANIMOVIES: LIFE IS A JOURNEY package, part of the Festival of Animated Objects!

Joel’s latest Stanford Beatles course: Abbey Road & Let It Be! 2/5/22

My next Beatles class , MUS-05 The Songwriting of The Beatles: Abbey Road and Let It Be, will be offered through Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program (CSP) starting February 5th. So much new info to discuss and digest: the deluxe 50th Anniversary package releases of Abbey Road and Let It Be, and of course Peter Jackson’s monumental The Beatles: Get Back documentary series. MUS-05 will be a virtual online course via Zoom videoconference held on 4 Saturdays: February 5, 12, 26, & March 5, 2022 from 10 AM-12:30 PM PST. Reminder: while this is a Stanford CSP course anyone can register, and the silver lining of a virtual course is… you don’t even have to leave your house to attend. The Beatles from the privacy of your living room? Yes, indeed! Over the past two years I’ve had people register not only from across the country, but even from as far away as Moscow. You can register HERE. [Future Tease: look for an all-new Sondheim course this spring at CSP!)

Tags | songwriting, Standford Univeristy, Stanford Continuing Studies, The Beatles, Rock, Beatles, Let It Be, Get Back, Abbey Road, music

World Premiere of Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle for 2 violins Pt. 2

At the request of my friend and violinist-violist-composer-tech guru and all-around badass Karen Bentley Pollick I wrote a 2 violin version of Uncle Hokum’s Fiddle (think Wieniawski meets Orange Blossom Special!) that will receive two performances in Mexico this month, this one on Virtuosos de Cámara’s Fiddle Fest in Puerto Vallarta. The amazingly versatile violinist Philip Brezina will be a one-man rhythm section supplying chop ‘n’ groove. I will post links for video and how to purchase the score soon. Virtuosos de Cámara’s YouTube channel can be found here. Details:

Tags | violin, fiddle, violin duet, fiddle music, Uncle Hokum's Fiddle, Karen Bentley Pollick, Philip Brezina