Ipswich Composer undertakes 365 new pieces in 365 days

IPSWICH, Mass. - June 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Ipswich MA - Many musicians are known for being prolific. The Beatles famously recorded their first album in a day and jazz ensembles frequently record many tracks in a single recording session, but to complete 365 new compositions in as many days is a challenge that would daunt even the most ambitious musicians. Yet this is the goal that Ipwich based composer Chris Florio has set for himself.

Florio is taking the challenge one month at a time in a series of 30 day Kickstarter campaigns. His goal is to raise $5000 per month for one year. If the first Kickstarter campaign is successful, Florio will begin posting a new song everyday beginning this July 4th. “The money from the Kickstarter campaign”, says Florio, “ will cover our recording costs and allow me to focus on the project without having to take on additional freelance projects.”

A new song everyday of any type is ambitious, but Florio is not just planning to play songs on his guitar or with a four-piece rock band. His Kickstarter page offers donors options for commissioning pieces for large jazz band, string quartet and even full Symphony Orchestra. When asked if he really thinks he can compose and record a new symphonic work in a day Florio admits, “Probably not, but I have a core group of musicians that I work with and I trust that we can go into the studio and create five or six new pieces in a day. That would leave me the rest of the week to write and record a piece for orchestra. I am only committing to a limited number of the more ambitious type of piece per month, but if I am lucky to get them all commissioned I will be working very, very long hours.”

The title of Florio’s Kickstarter campaign, “To Make Music More Intensely” is from a quote by Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein’s quote - “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” – was widely circulated on the Internet in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings and was a source of inspiration for Florio. “When I read that quote it was like a dose of some powerful healing medicine that took all of the horrible things I was feeling after the bombing and converted them into motivation and energy.” “It was a powerful reminder that life is short and there is a limited time to create your life’s work.”“I have no idea what the music that results from this project will sound like”, says Florio. “Some of it will be determined by the commissions.” “I love to work with musicians in the studio and to use pencil and paper to write for orchestral instruments but I also love to create electronic music on the computer. This project should give me a chance to explore lots of different musical terrain.”

Florio has a track record of performances and recordings that show he is up for the challenge of creating music in a variety of styles. He has had his compositions performed by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, The Marlborough Symphony, The Greater Trenton Symphony and the Berklee Contemporary Orchestra. He has released three CDs of original music under his own name and has performed on albums by the Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble.

“I have never done anything on this scale before,” says Florio, “but I trust that having to create a new work everyday will open up some wide creative channels and I look forward to hearing what comes out.”

Chris Florio’s Kickstart Campaign “To Make Music More Intensely” can be viewed by searching for “Chris Florio” on the Kickstart.com homepage. The first month’s campaign runs until July 11th, 2013.