I’ve finally redesigned my website — take a peek. Tons of new stuff, particularly sound bites of my past work. Spread the word!

Filed by Trevor at 5:30 am under Shameless Plugs
2 Comments

I am preparing to write my first real high-stakes proposal. By high-stakes I mean there’s a chance of rejection. I wrote grant proposals in college but that was pretty much like asking for pennies that fell through someone’s pants-pocket and into their shoe.

I’m not sure why I made that analogy, because there isn’t any money on the line. What I mean is this: I have a shot at getting an actual theatre space to have a staged reading of a play I wrote. Our bad-ass new theatre company, Per Diem, will be producing it in the spring and I want as much publicity for our ice-breaker show as we can get. And staged readings are key. I want to have several of them, in fact, at various venues around the city. I’m thinking small stages at bars and cafés may be the way to go, but if I can get a space that is known for doing staged readings, that would help take it a lot further. So in that sense, the stakes are rather high. At least, they are in my mind.
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Bil at 10:57 pm under Shameless Plugs, The Arts, Politics, Fightin' Words
3 Comments

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m moving to Chicago late next month to start up my studio, so I’ve been here in the city since Monday afternoon looking for a place to live. I managed to find a wonderful space not long into my search, so now I’m just waiting for my application and deposit check to go through. I’ve decided to break with tradition and suspend excitement until I sign the lease, but I do have a lovely (note: expensive) bottle of wine chilling in the fridge for when things become set in stone. Which I hope is fast approaching, cause waiting sucks. At any rate, I have the penultimate performance of that super-smash musical HATS to look forward to. Only the finest!

On Tuesday morning I’ll be leaving bright and early for the Tampa area — specifically Clearwater, home to the worldwide headquarters of Scientology, don’t you know — for the UUMN annual conference, something I’ve been looking forward to for some time if only because I’m being right posh and staying at the Hilton all week. I’ve been a UU for only a short time, so this is my first major function in the larger community; I’ll be performing Michael Colquhoun’s Charanga and On a Windswept Plain (one of my own pieces — both off my summer recital program), conducting two pieces on the Choral Reading Session, and presenting one of my choral works at the Composer’s Workshop. And with any luck the Scientologists won’t sneak into my hotel and kill me in my sleep.

Take care, kiddos.

Filed by Trevor at 7:25 pm under General, Shameless Plugs, UU, The Arts
1 Comment

In case you haven’t visited my website yet, I’m attempting to raise $25,000 by a means I’m referring to as “The Dollar Project”. I realize this method of internet fundraising is not new (SaveKaryn.com, anyone?), but rather than panhandling to defray outstanding credit card debt, my purpose is far more substantial:

(Reprinted from trevorpatrick.com)
I am looking to raise a significant amount of money in the most unintrusive way possible. In August I will be moving to Chicago to set myself up not only as a full-time musician, but specifically as a full-time private instructor. Essentially I am once and for all throwing off the shackles of the part-time employment as a server that seems a tacit requirement of legions of artists nationwide, and as can be expected, such an action carries with it a hefty price tag. Obviously amounts of $5, $10, or $100 are always welcome, but all I ask you are two things: donate a dollar and tell your friends.

My primary goal as an instructor is to devote a significant amount of my time to pro bono work. Naturally I will be seeking a regular stable of 16-20 students, but in addition to this I will be contacting Chicago-area music directors in search of motivated students who may not have the financial means to study privately. Along these lines, I will be purchasing 10 new Yamaha student flutes for the purpose of loaning out to those students — pro bono or otherwise — that may not either have the financial means for a decent instrument or any instrument all. Additionally, I plan to take full advantage of such a large number of students by establishing a flute choir, necessitating the purchase of alto and bass flutes, which will also benefit me in my session work. Finally, I am in desperate need of a professional-level flute and piccolo; not only have I been playing on my current flute, an intermediate-level Yamaha, for nearly 14 years, it isn’t even mine — it has always belonged to my sister. My piccolo is in a similar condition: while mine, it is a student-level Gemeinhardt that I have owned for nearly the same span of time. What remains of the money raised will not only facilitate the purchase of new music for my library, to be used for the flute choir as well as individual students, it will also assist greatly in defraying the cost of living expenses during the initial shaky months while I recruit new students and establish myself professionally.

Again, all I ask from you is $1. And please tell 24,999 of your closest friends to do the same.

I will have a “Make Donation” button at the bottom of this page — a page I will have posted in the right-hand column of this blog from this point on — but I have one last thing to say about donating: you can donate whether or not you have a PayPal account, but if you don’t, it takes about 20-30 cents on the dollar off the total donation amount. Beggars can’t be choosers, of course, but I did wish to mention that.

Please help spread the word. Thank you for your help, all of you!

Filed by Trevor at 6:00 pm under Shameless Plugs
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Please forgive my total flakiness over the past week or so, but behold, I have an excuse: my website is finally up and running! I have a lot more work to do, but the basics are there. I have a lot more I’d like to say on the matter, but if I sit at this computer any longer this evening, I think I’ll have a panic attack.

Go!

Filed by Trevor at 3:09 am under Shameless Plugs
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As you may or may not remember, a couple months ago I headed out to LA for the Ian Harvie Show, hosted by the brilliant transgender comic him(her?)self. I got much more out of it than I expected to (including two hot pink vibrators), as I was sitting directly across from John Amaechi and right next to Ian’s parents. Oh, and you know, I got to meet Margaret Cho. No big deal, right? Anyway, this evening I was very happy to find an edited version of the show on YouTube — posted by Ian — which I have provided below. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he’s a gifted comedian and an incredibly urbane, down-to-earth person, plus the video provides a clip from Matt Alber’s performance which is well worth noting — marvelous musician. What the video does not provide, unfortunately, is footage of me winning the aforementioned top prize for Filthiest Public Restroom Story and subsequent presentation of said prize (16 oz. bottle of lube provided by Babeland, the corporate sponsors) by a tranny in an evening gown. My disappointment is sincere; it was a proud moment in my life that I would have loved dearly to share with you.

However.

What I neglected to mention in my earlier post for some reason was that at the conclusion of the show, Ian opened up the floor for a bit of “Tranny Q & A”, which rounds out the final portion of the video. I was pleased to discover that the question you see him answering is the one I asked. It was the very last one he answered that night, regarding whether or not he planned on having a double mastectomy to complete his transition. In fact, if you listen closely at 8:49, you can hear me ask it, but even if you can’t, his response is frank and touching — I’m thrilled he deemed it important enough to include as part of the highlights.

Funny how such a small thing can make you feel connected to the outside world; I actually feel like part of the queer community now. It’s a new feeling.

Filed by Trevor at 10:56 pm under Shameless Plugs
1 Comment

I have two things to say about having broken my finger onstage: first, the fact that I completed the show makes me feel like I just bought a ticket into the theatre equivalent of Rock and Roll Heaven. I hope I am not overestimating myself (or the show). Second, as was proven by Vincent Van Gogh, the loss of a small and inconsequential body part cannot stop art from getting made. Vive le cinemà!

We bring the suffering upon ourselves: I, for making this stupid film, and you, for watching it.

Filed by Bil at 7:24 pm under Shameless Plugs, The Arts
5 Comments

Just so the whole world knows…I’ve half-defected. I am the proud new owner of a MacBook. I will, at least for the time being, continue doing the work that I do and wasting the time that I waste on two other, older Windows laptops, but only for convenience’s sake. When I finally have my whole life onto this new monster, chances are high that they will slowly disappear, just like Marty McFly.

This is my first post on my new computer. Ooh, isn’t it lovely?

Filed by Bil at 10:12 pm under Shameless Plugs
1 Comment

I performed at the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council’s National Day of Prayer Breakfast this morning at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. As part of a two-member Unitarian Universalist delegation, it would seem, as my minister apparently opted to sleep in. Oh well. I was impressed by the diversity and sensitivity of the occasion; they even had the chafing dishes of bacon and sausage clear on the other side of the room from the eggs and potatoes out of respect for the Jews and Muslims in attendance. I was also impressed by the presence of a local imam, particularly by his quoting of the Holy Qur’an, as the current state of world affairs behooves us all to increase our awareness of the true Islamic faith. I mean this sincerely — I have next to zero knowledge about that particular religion and even less about its holy book. Finally, I was glad to see a significant Mormon presence, surprising to me as they’ve been conspicuously absent from most of the other interfaith activities I’ve attended. But maybe that was just a fluke.

I had planned to remark on the requisite lack of atheist representation this morning, but it’s becoming clearer to me that the Unitarian Universalists are essentially the atheist — or failing that, deeply cynical agnostic — presence at the interfaith table. And how fitting that only two of us showed up! While neither Beth (my Music Director, who played piano with me today) nor I are atheists, we sat there unconsciously muttering corrections under our breath during the keynote address, given by Peter Vidmar, a former Olympian and active Latter-Day Saint. Not out of disrespect or even irritation — more out of habit than anything else. All things considered, it was a good way to start the day. It even made me forget the fact that I’ve got to drive back down this afternoon and do it all again.

Today is the National Day of Prayer; in this time of war, make the observance of this day a priority. Regardless of religion — you too, atheists and pagans — please contact your local blood bank and give blood today. Get off your knees on and on your feet, and let your actions be your prayer.

Filed by Trevor at 10:53 am under Shameless Plugs, Religion, Atheism, UU, Social Issues, Activism
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So, I’ve just gotten a bit of a theatre gig, and it’s good money and it fits into a gaping hole in my schedule, and everything’s peachy.
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Devon at 12:04 pm under Shameless Plugs, Sex Ed, Pop Culture, The Arts
2 Comments