Every week the Town Crier blog will look back at Seattle’s near-forgotten Town Crier magazine to see what was happening then and talk about what’s happening now. One of the largest sections of the original Town Crier was “What People Are Doing,” highlighting things like, “Yesterday afternoon an interesting demonstration of Dalcrose Eurhythmics was given by Elsie Hewett McCoy” and, “Dr. Mizra Ahmed Sohrab spoke about the emancipation of Persian women that is currently going on.” In this series we’re revisiting the old column and tying it to our community’s current happenings, asking: “what are people doing?”

Today’s entry…

In the March 6 edition of the Town Crier there was a brief mention of Seattle’s local Composers Society. There was a program that “marked another milestone in the history of this club of talented musicians whose members are doing their part in making the history of music in the Northwest.”

Not to toot our own Town Hall horn too much but we have also done our part in making local music history. Last year, for instance, we were part of a Phillip Glass commission entitled “Perpetulum,” the first piece Glass composed for percussion. Third Coast Percussion gave its Northwest premiere as part of Town Hall’s Town Music Series. “Perpetulum” was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category.

Next up for us on the commission front? Town Hall has commissioned a piece by Judd Greenstein as part of our coming yMusic concert that takes place on Town Hall’s Great Hall on April 8 (tickets are on sale now). Known for his structurally complex, viscerally engaging pieces of music, Greenstein’s compositional voice aligns with the stirring verve of yMusic, who embody the humanity of the music they play. 

The writers of the old Town Crier would undoubtedly be pleased upon hearing that Seattle’s musical history is still being made at Town Hall Seattle.