[img]541|left|Carter Dewberry||no_popup[/img]For nearly my whole life, I have considered myself to be a classical musician. I have poured over 20 years’ worth of energy (and money) into other people’s music, trying to become the best possible performer of these works.
Unlike pop and jazz compositions, classical pieces are – with avant garde exception – notated as clearly as possible so that performances can be mirrors of the original musical intention. As such, nearly my entire graduate career was spent analyzing things like the evolution of notation and correct articulation and ornamentation for music written in different centuries.
I thrived on this discovery process. I dissected scores, read composers’ biographies and letters, and in the case of new music, began communicating directly with living composers. I revered these composers so fully, I even founded a non-profit music organization, The Definiens Project, to celebrate and support their work.
The Seeds of Discontent
Four years ago, things started to shift. Perhaps it was because I ran out of degrees and corresponding intellectual exercises. Maybe it was burnout from having learned too many pieces I didn’t really enjoy. More likely, it was because after a life of study, I was suddenly forced to figure out what I really wanted to DO and to BE with my music.
Today, I still don't have an answer. I am working to reconcile my desire to express my own voice with my rigorous training targeted at honoring the composer’s intentions. As such, I keep one foot in the classical music world, performing a few concerts a year with my longtime collaborative partners. The rest of the time, I indulge myself in playing jazz and my own world and electronic compositions.
I create music to convey what even two languages’ worth of vocabulary can’t quite articulate, to get out of my head, and to heal whatever discord I may feel in myself or the world. These are the origins of my expression.
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
On Saturday, July 25, at 8 o’clock, Ms. Dewberry will star in the program “Origins,” at the Yost Theater, Santa Ana, featuring cello, silent film, dance and electronics. The show, spotlighting musicians from The Definiens Project, celebrates the release of her new album, also “Origins.”
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
