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DeadHeadSticker t1_it827ac wrote

Reply to comment by sandiegoopera in Hi Reddit! I'm a Grammy winning classical composer, composer-in-residence for the Philadelphia Orchestra and I also founded a music academy. In two weeks, the San Diego Opera will premiere my first ever opera, El Ultimo Sueño de Frida y Diego. AMA by sandiegoopera

Thanks! I enjoyed reading your response and it made me think of two things

One is that sometimes working with limitations can lead to really creative solutions.

The other is working with other creative people. I remember hearing someone play my music for the first time, and thinking no, that wasn't what I wanted, but then thinking what they did was better and incorporating it.

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sandiegoopera OP t1_it8304d wrote

Yeah, the shock of hearing something coming to life can feel very similar to the shock of your music being played incorrectly. When I mentor aspiring composers, I tell them it's important for them to take a breath when hearing something for the first time in real life, not just on the computer or in their head. After a little while, your memory of its first life might fade for what is actually real.

Then, if you get multiple performances of your music, you'll begin to see how rich different interpretations are. This is the greatest compliment a performer can give a composer, to teach us everything that our ideas promise. We may originate the ideas but we don't fully know everything they are capable of. Kind of like having kids who grow up and form their own opinions. :)

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