The Visual Listening Guide makes its debut in Asia with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra

Just over a month ago, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra featured the Visual Listening Guide to Mozart Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”) in their program books to their March 17 concert.

This was the formal debut of the Visual Listening Guide in Asia!

In addition to featuring the Guide, the Orchestra commissioned a “What to Listen For” page—an educational accompaniment providing deeper insights into the piece by highlighting key moments in the Guide.

An excerpt of this page was featured in their Facebook post to promote the concert:

Feedback to the Guide was very positive. One orchestra member remarked that their grandparent, who is not literate in English, was still able to follow the Guide because of its visual design. Even though the Visual Listening Guides can be translated, it was nice to know that language doesn’t pose a barrier to its functionality!

Thank you for the opportunity, Singapore National Youth Orchestra!

Now available at Symphony Graphique!

I originally created the “Jupiter” Symphony Visual Listening Guide in January 2016 for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and had long wanted to update it before releasing it on Symphony Graphique. Thanks to this opportunity, the time has come. This Guide is now available for purchase in the web shop as well as for print and digital licensing.

London Symphony Orchestra Commissions New Visual Listening Guides for Autumn 2021 Half Six Fix Concerts

Last autumn, I was delighted to have the London Symphony Orchestra feature my Visual Listening Guides in their programs for their Half Six Fix concerts!

The London Symphony Orchestra’s Half Six Fix concerts, each an hour long, are “a different way to experience the LSO, with introductions to the music from the conductor, a relaxed atmosphere, and digital programme notes.”

Of the four VLGs to be featured, three were new commissions—for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”), Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. These are substantial, complex works, so I was excited for the intellectual challenge to render my analysis into the visual language of the Guides. A shout out here to Gareth Fowler, the graphic designer who helps me make the VLGs come to life!

These were all rewarding projects to undertake but the experience of creating the Guide to Mahler’s Fourth Symphony was particularly special for me. I initially discovered this piece through playing it in orchestra (a long time ago!), and the process of listening and analysis brought those fond memories back, while also bringing new insights. The slow (third) movement of this symphony is, in my opinion, one of Mahler’s most devastatingly beautiful.

A glimpse into what it often looks like when I'm in the midst of creating a new Visual Listening Guide—there's method to the madness!—and the final result.

“I went last night (8th December) to hear the London Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler’s 4th symphony. They made your visual listening guide available and I followed it throughout the performance; I already knew the symphony well, but the guide added immeasurably to my understanding and appreciation. I congratulate you on producing such a wonderful series of guides, and I will look out for them when attending future concerts.”
— Via email from a concert-goer

The three new Visual Listening Guides will soon be made available in the Symphony Graphique shop. Watch for an update to this post and an announcement on Facebook, Twitter, and by email—do follow or subscribe to keep in the loop!

UPDATE!

January 28, 2022 — The new Visual Listening Guides to Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”, and Mahler Symphony No. 4 are now available for purchase in the SHOP and for LICENSING!

The Visual Listening Guide in The Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory

I’m delighted to announce the online publication of my chapter about the Visual Listening Guides for The Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory, edited by music theorist J. Danny Jenkins! The printed volume will be available later in 2023.

Online access to this article is limited to those who have a subscription to Oxford Handbooks Online (many academic institutions will have access). If you can’t access it and are interested in reading the chapter, please contact me.