Last night was the first Composers' Concert and there was a surprisingly good turnout of over eighty people. Sadly though, much of the audience turned out to be undergrads in search of a quick and easy recital credit. Works by five composers were performed, and I will say that I really enjoyed a couple of them. It probably wouldn't be polite to give my full opinions here without sharing them with the composers privately first. I think one of the best things a composer likes to get (after good recordings of their music) is feedback.

One non-composer trait I will mention though, is performer gesticulation. While it's great for a performer to really "live" the music, sometimes body language can get out of control and go off the deep end. In my mind, a few choice gestures can really bring something special out of a piece, but looking like an intoxicated Muppet while performing is more than a little distracting, and usually ends up hurting the performance.

Anyhow, I think the first concert went over very well. I wish I could put a work on the next one, but I'll be out of town that weekend, attending the "Retirement Concert" of one of my undergraduate professors.