It is time once again for the New Music Marathon “Viva 21st Century”

2018 Marathon – with composer Robert Moran

It has been already eight years since I wrote the last extensive blog titled Viva 21st Century Music, which explains the beginning of my obsession with this grueling event that lasts between 24-26 hours each year-end. I thought it would be fun to share some marathon numbers.
I must confess that I am a marathon junky and wonder why I devote a large portion of my winter break preparing and presenting this big event. However, when I hear wonderful new work the first thing that comes to my mind is “wow, this would be great for my marathon.” I get a new box and start adding CD’s to the marathon pending file.

Instead of celebrating the holidays I march into the WPRB studio with boxes of CDs, valises of fresh clothing, a container of mixed nuts, a couple gallons of water and green tea. There is a couch in the WPRB studio and I make a point not to look at it for obvious reasons during the event.

I have not kept detailed marathon stats for years before 2018, but here are some figures that were easy to put together.

Now, it is easy to figure out why friends call me MarathonO-Maniac.

I am lucky that WPRB has given me the opportunity for almost 23 years to do radio programming I believe in. Classical Discoveries would not be allowed to exist as it is on any corporate run radio station.

 

Here is a break down of some statistics from last year 2018 marathon,  excluding and including January programs plus complete event participating composers (below)

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More exciting new music is coming up!! ‬Here is the Viva 21^st Century schedule. Hope you can join me this year. A majority of the works on the marathon will include complete and from the last 10 years works.

More exciting new music is coming up!! ‬Here is the Viva 21^st Century schedule:

A majority of the works on the marathon will include complete and from the last 10 years works.

Hope you can join me this year: on 103.3FM Princeton NJ., and around the world @  http://www.wprb.com

 

 

 

 

 

Return of Marathonmaniac

Final moments at 2014 – Viva 21st Century Marathon. left: composers Daniel Dorff, back: Robert Moran, Susan T. Nelson and Amanda Harberg

I am embarrassed to look at my blog and to see how long it has been since I wrote anything. Some might think that I disappeared which is of course not the case. Here I am!! I am back!!!

Between teaching, administrative duties at my school, and of course radio I really do not have much time left. Once again, I am promising that even if I do not have much time, I will post some pictures or music videos to keep the blog going.

I never will catch-up with all the blogs that I could have written during the last few years. Despite this, I will try to summarize things I still remember in a few sentences.

• I became more active (at least during broadcasts of Classical Discoveries) on Twitter. If you want to follow me you can do so @MarvinRosen. You will find out during my radio broadcasts what music is coming next.
• The Piano Duo “Venti Dita” CD became available on CD Baby in April 2013 and sold pretty well, meaning that we at least recouped most of our expenses.
• Have done a few performances, concerts and some lectures about new music. Have been the subjects of a few newspaper stories.
• In 2013 I received the “Distinguished Musician Alumni Award“ from TCNJ.
• Have finally meet one of my favorite, Slovak composers Vladimir Godár in New York.

Composers: Peter Breiner and Vladimír Godár with Publisher & Editor of Music & Literature Magazine: Taylor Davis-Van Atta – guest on Classical Discoveries

So what did I miss with regard to my radio program?

• I presented many special programs.
• Had two summers of special programming – “Treasures of Early Music” and for part of last summer, a number of avant-garde specials.
• Had interviews with Kaija Saariaho, 2 guests from Poland, Miłosz Bembinow and Dariusz Przybylski, return visits to the studio by Frank J. Oteri and Andrew Rudin, and a number of first timers such as Vivian Fung, Randall Woolf and Kathleen Supové (Woolf and Red Riding Hood), Guy Klucevsek and many others I have not mentioned here.

American composer and accordion virtuoso, Guy Klucevsek

Canadian composer, Vivian Fung

American composer Frank J. Oteri

Composer Randall Woolf and pianist Kathleen Supové (Woolf and Red Riding Hood)

Polish composer, Miłosz Bembinow

Polish composer Dariusz Przybylski

• Students from my class on 21st Century Music (in the winter of 2014 and 2015) presented wonderful on the air interviews with their chosen composers. This class is part of the Honors Music Program at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ.
• Presented a special 12-hour music marathon celebrating the 30^th Anniversary of New York Women Composers.

• Presented three more annual Viva 21st Century Marathons (two of three were actually 25 hour-long) – I hosted my 10^th new music marathon this past December. *

With 10* to my credit (1 devoted to American composers and one to women), all live and hosted, some of my friends started call me a Marathonmaniac. Yes, I must be crazy to be on the air for 242 hours during 10 sittings. One of those days I will summarize how many new, 21^st century compositions I have presented during all of my New Music Marathons combined.

* Actually 11th -24 hour but was devoted just to the music of Alan Hovhaness on his 100th hundred birthday year

Final moments at 2013 – Viva 21st Century Marathon. back: composers: Susan T. Nelson, Robert Moran and Daniel Dorff

Composer Daniel Dorff – 2014

Final moments at 2014 – Viva 21st Century Marathon. composers Daniel Dorf, Robert Moran, Susan T. Nelson and Amanda Harberg

I must say that being live on the air for 24-25 hours straight and playing that all wonderful music gets me so excited that I do not feel tired until about the 23^rd hour. This is why I love it each year when my annual guests – composer friends like Daniel Dorff and Robert Moran (plus many that I have endless gratitude to but not mentioned here) visit me, especially close to the end and join me on the air talking about their recent, just written works.

Nothing can replace a live, unedited, spontaneous DJ trying to speak, after being on the air for many, many hours. This is one of the special, unique moments of live radio.  Someone told me that I was the first who dared to present a 24 hour live marathon devoted to compositions just written after 2000 when I did this back in 2007 (of course in addition to playing new music on Classical Discoveries each week for almost 18 years)

I am sorry to say this but many people have forgotten this already or have maybe chosen to ignore it, have simply very short memories, or are maybe playing politics. I do not know, but I am OK with this and very happy that there are others doing 24 hour Marathons featuring new music. We need these more often since we already have plenty of new music to present on many marathons.

In 2007 it was much harder to organize 24 hours of good, diverse new music but now it is a totally different story.

Maybe one day I will try to do 30 straight hours. Should I do it? Should I announce a challenge “The Game of XXI-Marathons”? Hmmmm?.

Talking about new music news: Last Wednesday I presented the World Premiere Broadcast of the just premiered (February, 2015) Viper Concerto for Viper electric violin and orchestra by Serbian composer, Ana Milosavljevic composed in 2014!

• Now I am working on my 3 specials:  “Sacred Bridges” (Wednesday, April 1, 5:30-11:00am), “Little Known Treasures of Early Music for Easter” (Sunday, April 5, 10:00am-1:00pm) and “Music for Orthodox Easter” (Sunday, April 12, 1:00-3:00pm).

So get ready. More blogs are coming (I hope)!