Barry,
I think the new look is terrific - a real upgrade for the magazine.

Congratulations!

Best wishes,

Katherine Hoover, composer
New York, NY

Now on to DVD's

Dear Barry,
Thank you very much for sending me the issue of New Music Connoisseur, with your article about my NYU recital in February. I just returned from a tour with the GuitarBot in Japan, and I apologize for my late note. I wanted to thank you very much for your time and also for your very kind remarks.

Frances White's The Old Rose Reader has been recorded, and at this moment we are finalizing the production; we are going to try to find a company to release it on DVD, since a big part of the piece is visual.

This summer, I am also working on a few other audio-visual works of my own, including a video production of "GuitarBotana" using the GuitarBot, collaborating with a video artist.

This year, I am an artist-in-residence at Har-vestworks (media arts center in SOHO), which al-lows me to record and master my works (which
also means I have to practice; when I write for my-self things get to be more difficult than I thought). I am just going to stay here and grind away.
Again, I appreciate very much your support.
Best wishes,

Mari Kimura, composer/violinist
New York, NY

Hammering Without Mastery?

Dear Barry,
Thank you for beginning the series on the problems of hearing loss and musical performance - a very real problem in my estimation. It is indeed
discouraging to hear current performances of 20-21st century music by reputable pianists who feel the piano has to be hammered into submission. There have been times when I gladly would have fled the concert hall rather than listen to a piano beating. Granted there are times when a percussive touch or a full sound is warranted, but never at the destruction of the musical material. Yes, our ears are losing from the constant noise pollution around us, and from the earphones so many listen to at full volume. I will be interested in other views on this
subject.

Margaret Mills, pianist
New York, NY, NY