Hi there and welcome to the world of Ralph!

Here's what's up and going down right about now:

My WNYC Radio Dairy is posted and ready for your listening pleasure!

I kept a radio diary during ETHEL's most recent season in residence at the Grand Canyon Music Festival's Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project (GCMF/NACAP). Entitled "Young Minds, New Ideas", and produced by my good friend Beth Fertig of WNYC, the diary is an audio snapshot of ETHEL's teaching and touring life on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations in Arizona.

It was a pleasure to keep this diary and I am really happy to share it with you. These NACAP kids are just awesome. And they write some amazing music! Several of the NACAP pieces are now standard ETHEL repertoire -- We play them everywhere. How cool is that?

Here's the link: 
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2007/10/29/segments/87834

SHOUT-OUTS:
•    To all of the dear NACAP students and their amazing teachers, for opening their worlds and their work to us.
•    To Theo Andriessen and the Ringtone Society for their incredible work on just about the coolest new project I've ever encountered.
•    To Cees de Bever at the Consulate General of The Netherlands in New York, for making the Ringtone Society's participation possible.
•    To Tom Riggenbach, James Bilagody, Del Glasgow, Molly, Dave and Cleve for your tireless support and your loving friendship.
•    To the GCMF/NACAP staff and teachers for their extraordinary dedication. Clare Hoffman, Robert Bonfiglio, René Westbrook, Shirley Westbrook, Kate LaPierre, Raven Chacon, Mike Begay and Ben Taylor -- Y'all ROCK!
•    To Beth Fertig, Allison Lichter, Gisele Regatao, Wayne Shulmeister, Siddhartha Mitter, John Schaefer and Limor Tomer at WNYC for making this radio diary possible.
•    To Team ETHEL for keeping this crazy dream alive!

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I just completed work on an Industrial Film wIth RSA Films and Martin Scorsese. Very hip project. Stay tuned for deets!

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ETHEL's Winter Solstice Show is looking to be ridiculously cool. We've got like 8 premieres going down -- New music by Amy Kohn, Raz Mesinai, ALL 4 ETHELS and then there's our very special guests: pianists Steve Gosling, Raja Rahman, Rob Schwimmer and Kathleen Supové, and illusionist Jarrett Parker. CRAZY!

Save the date: December 21, 2007!

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Each month I will be a regular guest of Deaconlight on ErrorFM internet radio, gabbing mostly about various ETHEL comings and goings. This show is way cool -- DD, the host is a trip and a half, and it's a an all-around super-fun hang. Visit www.errorfm.com for show dates and details. And do be sure to stop by www.deaconlight.com for loads of information about ETHEL... and all of your other favorite music.

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I am proud to say that I work with fools. Or rather, THE Fools. These guys are a wicked pissa Boston band -- The mad geniuses behind "She Makes Me Feel Big". I was surfing MySpace a few months back, found these guys & wrote 'em a lengthy tome @ how much I loved their stuff. Next thing I know -- POW! I'm laying down tracks of fiddles for their new record and they even seem pretty happy about it. Woo-Hoo! I am one happy Bostonian.

Check out their new record HERE.

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For more Ralph info than you ever really needed, check out these articles: "A polished musician with a flair for the irreverent", by Kathy Uek, January 26, 2007 (in my hometown paper, Natick Bulletin & Tab!) and "Cultivating Audiences in Cyberspace" by Derek Mithaug, March 2007 (The Juilliard Journal).

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Ralph can be found on MySpace. Stop by and become a friend!
www.myspace.com/ralphfarris





Photo: "Fiddle Ears" Ginger Bruner, 2006