Being a creative person is about always striving to write to the best of one’s ability but it is also about giving your audience something memorable and inspiring. That is what I want to capture in my compositions.  I want to compose something unique and beautiful. When I feel that I have done that, I hope to be acknowledged for my work.  One should write for oneself but having the reinforcement makes everything worthwhile.

Doing the interview for Fanfare made me reflect on my past musical experiences. I was very involved with performing, accompanying and teaching during my years in high school and college and always had a special place in my heart for composing.  I was fortunate that my family encouraged me to continue my music studies. Yet, I never considered pursuing a career in writing.

I realized over the years that I wasn’t getting the thrill from performing anymore. I knew that there were so many great performers playing music by great classical music composers, but the thought of creating something of my own was far more exciting than playing someone else’s compositions. It took a very long time for me to make that connection, but once I did, my life completely changed, going from a performer to being a creator.

When I finish each CD, I long for people to hear my work, but the reality is that it takes time before one can establish a name and reputation in the creative arts. My dream is to have people listen and enjoy the music that I compose and truly believe in.

I regret not having a career in composition earlier in my life but I feel grateful that I now have an opportunity to challenge and express myself.  Fanfare Magazine has given me the chance to have a promising career in classical music composition.

Each issue of “Fanfare” magazine features interviews with music composers and performers, and reviews of their CDs. Ruchman noted, “I was told by ‘Fanfare’ staff members that I was unique to their coverage in that I am both an accomplished musician as well as a composer of classical music.” In addition to her first two CDs, on December 13, 2011, Ruchman released her third CD in three years’ time “Remembrance”. She released her first CD, “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” featuring “Sea Glass” in October 2009, and in November 2011, she released “Arrival of Spring”.

“For my third CD,” Ruchman commented, “I wanted to compose music specifically for violin, cello, flute and piano. While creating all of my CDs, I have enjoyed working with several local area musicians who accompany me in my compositions. Their talents inspired me to compose music specifically for their instruments and styles.” The new “Remembrance” CD is presented on 19 tracks. Tracks 1- 3 are a cello and piano “Sonata in E Minor”; track 4-5 is the song “Remembrance” with violin and piano; track 6-7 offers a flute and piano duet; track 8 is a violin and piano titled “Lament”; “Hope” is featured on tracks 9-10 in cello and piano; “Kaleidoscope” with violin and piano is featured on track 11; track 12 features a solo piece for piano, “Calm”; “Longing” is the violin and piano composition on track 13; and tracks 14-19  offers “Variations on a Theme in F Major for Cello and Piano”.

The “Fanfare” review of the “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” CD, states, “Ruchman does not feel a need to compose music that falls into step with a particular style because it is currently in vogue. In many ways, the music she composed for this disc has much in common with the styles of a century ago. Although she seems an unabashed melodist, she has a tendency to utilize more than one style of composition.”

Nockin wrote this comment in response to Ruchman’s website quote that states, “There are many styles of music by great composers that have inspired me and have allowed me to consider the myriad ways to make a composition interesting.” A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and Yale School of Music, Ruchman also sang for many years with several major choruses including those associated with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras.

Since 2009, pieces from Ruchman’s “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” and “Arrival of Spring” CD’s have been aired on WSHU and WMNR in Connecticut. In that year, her compositions were also selected by the National Composers Association to be performed in Portola, California as part of the “Music Under the Redwoods” concert. Two of her compositions were also performed in 2009 during the 10th Annual Hartford Women Composers Festival, and one composition was performed live by the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra in 2010.

“Fanfare” Reviewer Nockin wrote of Ruchman’s “Piece for Cello and Piano” on her “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” CD, “The piece ends as smoothly as a perfect summer day.” She also commented that Ruchman’s concluding piece on the CD, “Translucence” for cello and orchestra, “Ends with a memorably rhythmic tune. Ruchman’s piano is always the perfect conversationalist in this musical discourse.”

Nockin’s review of Ruchman’s second CD, “Arrival of Spring”, states, “This CD is a compilation of various forms of chamber music with Ruchman presenting a string quartet, two trios and four duos. She opens with the major piece, ‘Quartet in F# Minor’, and it offers a full-blooded statement of the melodic first theme. She concludes the quartet with a delightfully rollicking tune that suggests an old time barn-raising.”

“Arrival of Spring, the trio of pieces for which the album in named,” writes Nockin, “starts with subtle harmonies that bring to mind the first shy crocus peeking through the snow. Ruchman’s ‘Twilight’ invokes the setting sun with violin and piano, and calls upon coming nightfall to soothe the cares of the past day. ‘Exultation’ concludes this disc of intensely interesting modern chamber music.”

To learn more about classical music composer and pianist Sharon Ruchman, visit www.sharonruchman.com. Orders for Sharon Ruchman’s CD’s can be placed on her website as well as iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon.com.

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Photo: Sharon Ruchman 2011.jpg

On December 13, 2011 classical music composer and pianist, Sharon Ruchman of Washington, Connecticut, (www.sharonruchman.com) released her third CD “Remembrance” in three years’ time. Ruchman released her first CD, “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” featuring “Sea Glass” in October 2009, and in November 2011, she released “Arrival of Spring”. “For my third CD,” she stated, “I wanted to compose music specifically for violin, cello, flute and piano. While creating all of my CDs, I have enjoyed working with several local area musicians who accompany me in my compositions. Their talents inspired me to compose music specifically for their instruments and styles.”

Towards that ambition, Ruchman presents the compositions of her new “Remembrance” CD on 19 tracks. Tracks 1- 3 are a cello and piano “Sonata in E Minor”; track 4-5 is the song “Remembrance” with violin and piano; track 6-7 offers a flute and piano duet; track 8 is a violin and piano titled “Lament”; “Hope” is featured on tracks 9-10 in cello and piano; “Kaleidoscope” with violin and piano is featured on track 11; track 12 features a solo piece for piano, “Calm”; “Longing” is the violin and piano composition on track 13; and tracks 14-19  offers “Variations on a Theme in F Major for Cello and Piano”.

In January 2012, Fanfare magazine will feature a review of Ruchman’s first two CDs, “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” and “Arrival of Spring”, along with an in-depth interview. Published bi-monthly, and written exclusively for the avid classical CD collector and music aficionado, Fanfare magazine features extensive interviews with classical music composers and performers. Ruchman noted, “I was told that I was unique to their coverage in that I am both an accomplished musician as well as a composer of classical music.”

In her second CD, “Arrival of Spring”, Ruchman wrote a piece ‘Memoria Dolci’ in memory of her great uncle, Rudolph Fuchs, a virtuoso violinist. “Two of my newest compositions, ‘Remembrance’ and ‘Lament’, were also written in his memory,” stated Ruchman. “My father told me that Rudy loved playing gypsy music and the new composition ‘Longing’ is written in that style.”

Fond childhood memories were the premise of Sharon Ruchman’s new composition, “Kaleidoscope”. “During my childhood, I played with color-filled kaleidoscopes. It was fascinating to me that a fixed number of colored pieces could create such a wide variety of patterns. That image inspired me to write ‘Kaleidoscope’, where the music magically morphs into several patterns rhythmically and melodically.

The new “Remembrance” CD features Ruchman’s piece “Calm” which she stated, “was influenced by Debussy.” This new CD presents several ‘first time’ experiences for Ruchman who has been playing piano since she was eight years old, and five years ago she began her career as a classical music composer. “For the first time, I have composed a piece of variations on a theme. It was interesting for me to see how many different ways I could create new styles based on one melody.”

Ruchman commented that, “This was also the first time that I composed a Sonata (3 movements) for cello and piano.” For the new “Remembrance” CD, Ruchman explained that she “Wanted to introduce different styles within the classical music framework. All the music was recorded at my home in Washington, Connecticut, which worked very well acoustically.”

Sharon Ruchman earned her Master of Music (MM) degree from the Yale School of Music, and her Bachelor of Music (BM) degree at the New England Conservatory of Music. She was an accompanist with the New England Conservatory chorus, and upon graduation she returned to Yale School of Music to study composition with Yale graduate, teacher and accomplished composer, Orianna Webb. From there, she went on to teach music in the West Haven, Connecticut elementary school while she pursued her singing career and performed throughout Connecticut. During 2007 and 2008, she wrote several compositions and began working with several northwestern Connecticut area musicians. Ruchman’s love of composition has led her to become a member of several professional composers associations including the American Music Center, the American Composers Forum, and IAWN, International Alliance for Women in Music.

Since 2009, pieces from Sharon Ruchman’s first two CDs “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” and “Arrival of Spring” have been aired on WSHU and WMNR in Connecticut. In that year, her compositions were also selected by the National Composers Association to be performed in Portola, California as part of the “Music Under the Redwoods” concert. Two of her compositions were also performed in 2009 during the 10th Annual Hartford Women Composers Festival.

Brief intervals for each of Sharon Ruchman’s new “Remembrance” compositions can be heard on her website, www.sharonruchman.com. Orders for the CD can be placed on the site, iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon.

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There are many challenges to writing original musical compositions.  The first one is creating a great melody or melodies for each piece. When I am satisfied with a melody or melodies for one piece, the next thing I want is to make certain that I am not duplicating something that I have written before. When composing music, it is not uncommon to repeat similar patterns in melodies, so I work to be conscious of that potential.

Recently, after I finished the first movement of a cello and piano sonata, I discovered that the main motif had a very similar melody and rhythm to another piece I had composed. I scrapped the idea and started fresh. I was much more pleased with the new melody I created.

Another challenge is to compose a piece that is beyond my comfort zone. There are so many styles of music by great composers that have inspired me and have allowed me to consider the myriad ways to make a composition interesting. For instance, it’s fun to write a piece that only uses 100 notes – a little bit like Twitter! I’ve learned there is actually a music group that requests submissions for such a piece.

Another option is that I can also choose to write something lyrical or atonal, or contrapuntal like a Bach fugue, and combine that with an interesting rhythmical pattern. I like to see how many ways I can use the same melody, whether I play the notes backwards, inverted, or mirrored. You can actually hold a mirror up to the notes that you have written and see the position of the notes.

My final challenge is not to be predictable in my music. I want the audience to be surprised by what key I use or how I end my piece. Most importantly, I want to have a balance of both familiarity and surprise

As a classical contemporary composer and musician, there are many musical elements that I try to incorporate into my compositions, one being a strong melody.

A melody can appear in different forms in a piece by changing its rhythm, its key, or tempo. I also enjoy using a technique of imitation or “echoing” of a melody from one instrument to another. My ambition is always to engage the listener with a strong and distinctive melody that can be recognized in the piece even in its different forms. The ultimate hope is that he or she will to retain that melody in his or her mind, and that my music will lives on beyond it first being heard.

Another important element in my music is mood. I want the listener to feel the emotional intent of my piece whether it is sadness, exuberance, or joy.  If I have conveyed a certain mood, then I feel a great satisfaction in communicating that to the listener.

Above all, I want to achieve a feeling of calmness in my music… a sense of calmness that it evokes a sense of peace and resolution for the listener. Ultimately, I want to provide the listener with an insight into the thoughts and emotions that I have tried to capture in my music.

My greatest desire is that the listener feels inspired and uplifted.

Sharon Ruchman: wtnh.com

A Yale School of Music and New England Conservatory of Music graduate, Ms. Ruchman will perform pieces on her CD featuring flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, piano, violin, viola, and cello. All of the 18 tracks were performed with musicians from throughout Connecticut, and recorded at The Hebbard House in Washington, The Dome in Southbury, and the Kent School Chapel in Kent, all in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The CD was produced in cooperation with Gary Bertz and Wayne Hileman of Candlewood Digital LLC in Washington, Connecticut.
Ms. Ruchman is a member of the American Music Center, the American Composers Forum, and IAWN, International Alliance for Women in Music. She earned her Master of Music (MM) degree at The Yale School of Music, and her Bachelor of Music (BM) degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. She was an accompanist with the New England Conservatory chorus, and she returned to the Yale School of Music to study composition in private lessons with Yale graduate, teacher and accomplished composer, Orianna Webb. “During those studies,” Ruchman recalled, “I never imagined I would compose classical chamber music.”
Brief, 10 second intervals of Sharon Ruchman’s two CDs, “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” and “Arrival of Spring” can be heard on www.SharonRuchman.com. Orders for the CD can also be placed on the site, Amazon.com, itunes.com, and CDBaby.com.

During the performances held exclusively for students on Friday, and the general audience performance on Saturday, the WSO string orchestra played along side students from the ASAP Strings Project, a workshop taught by WSO musicians (www.asap.org). The 20 piece string orchestra performed an expanded version of Sharon Ruchman’s original composition that she wrote for a string quartet.

Ruchman describes the original compositions on her “Arrival of Spring” CD as, “A mix of different ensembles. One is a string quartet, another is a trio, and there are duets for violin and piano and cello and piano.” Sharon Ruchman (www.sharonruchman.com) released “Arrival of Spring” in October 2010, and her first CD, “Sharon Ruchman Chamber Music” featuring “Sea Glass” in October of 2009.

WSO Executive Director Steve Collins commented, “Sharon’s work was a natural for the WSO to perform. Aside from being a long time Washington resident, Sharon’s involvement in the community is exemplary and her work is very engaging.” WSO Music Director, Leif Bjaland, remarked, “Ms. Ruchman’s music transferred well for our string orchestra (al la Barber Adagio) and I loved the close musical connection it afforded the WSO to the Washington community. It also offered a great opportunity to demonstrate to the students in the ASAP program that music is not only a great legacy of Mozart, Grieg and Britten, but also a living, breathing expression of the here and now with the music of a current composer, Sharon Ruchman, right in their own community.”

Several of Sharon Ruchman’s original compositions from her two CDs have been aired on Connecticut’s two popular classical music radio stations, WSHU and WMNR during 2009 and 2010. In 2009, one of her compositions was also selected by the National Composers Association to be performed in Portola, California as part of the “Music Under the Redwoods” concert, and two pieces were selected to be performed during the 10th Annual Hartford Women Composers Festival in Hartford, CT.

Ms. Ruchman described her original piece, ‘String Quartet in F Sharp Minor’, as a ‘very strong piece”. “My CD begins and ends with very strong pieces. It starts with this piece and ends with ‘Exultation, a very powerful piece that I believe is a perfect ending to the entire CD.”

“Arrival of Spring” was written, produced and released one year after Sharon Ruchman released her first CD because, “I was inspired and the ideas kept flowing. Throughout 2010 I felt so full of music. I wanted to continue composing so I could share my music with the public locally, across the United States and internationally. My newest CD evokes the imagery of spring.”

Ruchman earned her Master of Music (MM) degree from the Yale School of Music, and her Bachelor of Music (BM) degree at the New England Conservatory of Music. She was an accompanist with the New England Conservatory chorus, and upon graduation she returned to Yale School of Music to study composition with Yale graduate, teacher and accomplished composer, Orianna Webb. From there, she went on to teach music in the West Haven, Connecticut elementary school while she pursued her singing career and performed throughout Connecticut. During 2007 and 2008, she wrote several compositions and began working with several northwestern Connecticut area musicians. Ruchman’s love of composition has led her to become a member of several professional composers associations including the American Music Center, the American Composers Forum, and IAWN, International Alliance for Women in Music.

Brief intervals for each of the 7 compositions on 16 tracks on “Arrival of Spring” can be heard on Sharon Ruchman’s website, www.sharonruchman.com. Orders for the CD can also be placed on the site. To learn more about the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra, and its 2011 performances, visit www.waterburysymphony.org.
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Once I decide what mood my piece should convey, I need to consider another decision. Of the myriad of notes available to me, what key should I write in?  I can select anything from C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C#, D#, F#, G#, A# or Db, Eb, Gb, Ab, and Bb. The question is “How do I distinguish one from another in determining what key best fits my piece?”

That question may sound trivial, but after studying music most of my life, I have learned to appreciate how each key has a distinct quality, and that it is important to match the proper key with the character of the piece I am composing.

Sometimes I compare this process to choosing an outfit for every day or and outfit for a special occasion. Selecting a certain color depends upon the mood I am in. Like so many people, I am expressing how I feel when I wear certain colors. The same holds true in music. Each key has a different color or sound, and it can make a world of difference which one I use in order to properly communicate the intent of my piece to an audience.

When I write contemporary classical music, I make a conscious effort to create different melodies that transition into one other effortlessly, smoothly, naturally.  It takes great planning but shouldn’t sound as if it does. For instance, when we watch a ballerina moving so lightly and nimbly on her toes, it looks so easy. But one can only imagine how many countless hours were needed to practice to make it look that way.

For me, I feel that I have achieved true success when the audience listens to my music and hears something unexpected. Perhaps the main melodic theme is repeated in a different key or transitions from major to minor. Maybe the rhythm of the theme changes or there is a different tempo. That is what I strive for, the surprise.

While I perform my compositions, I can also create those surprises by changing a key from major to minor, making a musical phrase longer, not resolving it predictably.  Music, for me, is exciting when it consists of unexpected moments.

With intention, I look and listen for the unknown whether I am watching a movie or attending a concert of “new works”. That is what makes the experience memorable for me. So when I imagine myself sitting in the audience listening to my music for the first time, I hope to experience the joy of being surprised.