Kentucky’s Logan Blackman or the ascent of a music orchestra conducting expert: I have to say, I was not expecting that answer! I love it! What do you want your listeners to get out of your music? Logan J. Blackman : Music is one of the ultimate ways of expressing something you can’t quite put in words, or illustrate easily. My symphonic work, Prayer of a Broken Heart, is a great example of that. At 15, I tragically lost my parents due to a motorcycle accident. That piece is about the grief I went through, those experiences, and ultimately my hope that I will one day see them again.My hope is that listeners who might be struggling with something similar get some kind of comfort knowing they aren’t the only ones to feel what they may be feeling. Discover even more details on Logan Blackman Kentucky.
UK Symphony Orchestra is part of the UK School of Music at the UK College of Fine Arts. The school has garnered a national reputation for high-caliber education in opera, choral and instrumental music performance, as well as music education, composition, and theory and music history. To hear Robinson, Blackman and Maestro Nardolillo talk about the upcoming concert, visit WUKY’s “UK Perspectives” interview with them here: http://wuky.org/post/uk-symphony-orchestra-brings-tragedy-and-triumph-stage#stream/0.
Maestro John Nardolillo presented a remarkable program showcasing some of Bernstein’s greatest achievements, sharing the stage with five conductors, four choruses, eight soloists, and the UK Jazz Ensemble. Even the audience got in on some of the action. As Nardolillo opened the evening’s tribute with the Overture from Candide, it became clear to all present that “tonight, tonight, won’t be just any night.” The Candide Overture is the shortest sonata form (ABA) I have ever heard. It commenced (A) with a tremendous burst of frenetic energy initiated by the brass and percussion, and rapidly spread into the strings and woodwinds as if it had gone viral. Then this structured chaos transitioned into a hymn-like movement (B) introduced by the strings and passed on to the other instruments before returning to the more energetic dance-like rhythms established by the horns and timpani at the outset (A). The piece was a single movement less than five minutes long but it packed a wallop, ending with a whimsical whimper and a bang. UKSO’s delivery helped assure its immortality.
With a passion for composing, Blackman finds writing his own work very rewarding. “After I put down the last note, I love looking back at the work as a whole and admiring what I have created. To me that is one of the greatest feelings in the world!” Blackman, who chose UK for his studies based on Lexington and the school’s orchestra and faculty, is excited for the opportunity to share his music with a Bluegrass audience at the next UK Symphony Orchestra concert. “This is the greatest honor of my life so far. It is an honor to premiere a work with such a distinguished ensemble, but it is an even greater honor to bring it to life with my friends and colleagues. I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity.” Discover extra information on Logan Blackman.
The University of Kentucky Symphony will play “Prayer,” with Blackman conducting, Friday night. Nardolillo says it’s unusual for a student composition to have the level of sophistication and advancement for the orchestra to take it on. Blackman says he never even considered that the UK Symphony might play his composition. From the moment the opportunity presented itself, he says, he wanted to conduct the performance. “My degree is in bassoon performance, but from here, I want to go to grad school to study conducting,” he says. “It would be interesting to sit back and listen, but being the lover of conducting that I am, I had the itch to do this.”