Akkording To Maya
A few years ago, I started exploring the endless possibilities of Reaktor and I evaluated all of the many included ensembles in the Reaktor Factory Library: Effects, Grooveboxes, Samplers, Sequenced Synthesizers, Sound Generators and Synthesizers. When I first played around with Akkord, one of the Reaktor Sequenced Synthesizers, I imagined composing a piece for my talented daughter Maya to play one day called, “Akkording To Maya,” for Akkord and Viola. For Maya’s 16th birthday (6/13/21), I finally got around to doing it. Since Akkord has a unique sequencer that plays chords, I sent Maya a list of almost every possible chord in every key and asked her to choose 16 of them, no matter which ones. I assembled a musical form using the chords that Maya chose in the order that she…
Sound Captivation EP and “RIP Summer” by Baravin
Story by Wesley Orser, one of Barry's former Hofstra University Electronic Music students The work of Andres Virola, a recent high school graduate who has taken composition lessons with Barry for over three years, is finally paying off with the recent release of his first EP, Sound Captivation, and single, "RIP Summer." In the last year since composing "Doomed Paladin," a piece for his school orchestra, he has started using the FL Studio DAW to create electronic music under the artist name Baravin. What started out as just playing around with the FL app on his phone led Barry to recommend Andres get the computer version, which he ultimately did. His creative approach is somewhat unconventional in that he doesn’t use a MIDI controller and manually enters all of the…
“Meditation on Roads Not Taken” by Audible Abstraction
During the Fall 2017 semester at Hostos Community College, I was grading Exercise 2 (E2), a recording and editing assignment in Introduction to Recording Techniques (DM106). For this assignment, students were asked to choose a page or two from the syllabus, a technical manual, or a poem and record themselves or someone else reading the text, and then edit any reading errors. It’s always interesting to see and hear what students choose to record for this assignment. The first student I graded chose the Robert Frost poem, “The Road Not Taken,” and he did a great job recording himself reading it. As I began listening to it, unaware of what it was at first, I noticed that it sounded strangely familiar. Coincidentally, a few months prior, one of my piano…
Rich Coffey’s “Nature Suite” – Getting Back in Touch with the Natural World
Story by Wesley Orser, one of Barry's former Hofstra students who sat in on a mix session for Rich Coffey. In the midst of widespread lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many residents left isolated in their homes have been reminded why long walks and fresh air are so important to one’s mental health. It was a complete coincidence that I was asked by Barry to write about one of his recording clients, Rich Coffey, and his ongoing “Nature Suite” project right as these nationwide lockdowns started to take effect. Still, unexpected circumstances nevertheless informed the importance of what Coffey is trying to communicate through his music. Coffey’s “Nature Suite” invites listeners to develop a further appreciation of nature by evoking its tranquil effect and beauty through music. Featuring a…
Anita Molinaro: An Aspiring Artist at 80
Story by Wesley Orser, one of Barry's former Hofstra students who sat in on some recordings with an aspiring artist in her 80s. There is a long-standing idea, especially in music, that creativity has an age limit. Perhaps the most common concern for an older aspiring artist is that it’s too late to start pursuing their craft. Those mental roadblocks can keep someone from finally taking up an instrument or learning to sing. They didn't stop Anita Molinaro. Anita Molinaro Anita is an 82-year old grandmother from Finland. She starting writing music at a young age, but never received any formal training. Recently, she was inspired to channel her natural talent into recording original songs for the first time in her life. Anita has an advantage younger musicians don't when they're…
Staying Organized 2: Advice for a Music Producer
I recently shared a blog post about getting organized as a creative professional. In this post, I’ll go more in-depth about how I organize projects as a music producer. Half, if not more, of the job is just making sure everything’s prepped and ready to run smoothly. A producer’s expertise is often in forecasting problems that might arise—gaps in communication, flaky collaborators, changes in creative direction—and making a plan airtight enough to support productive improvisation. Determining a scope of work It’s tempting to just start working and see where things go, but most projects are easier when both the music producer and artist understand the scope of work. In the case of entire EPs and albums, this means deciding which songs to use, often sifting through years of ideas that…
“Rather Be With You” featuring Samantha Kenny
It must have been late December or early January this year when I received a text message from Samantha Kenny, one of my former students at Guitar Center Studios (Danbury, CT), where I taught piano, guitar and bass (and got amazing discounts!) from 2012-2018. Samantha stopped taking piano lessons with me after graduating high school and becoming a student at The New School in New York City. It was great to see her again when she came to hear me perform some unusual, experimental music in Brooklyn with Audible Abstraction in September 2017. Anyway, as I was preparing my syllabi and course content for the Spring 2019 semester at Hostos Community College (Bronx, NY), Samantha reached out to say hello and let me know she was around if I needed…
Staying Organized: Advice for Self-employed Creatives
In my last blog post, my recent intern Jacob wrote, “Barry is the most organized person I have ever met in my life. He has every minute of his day on a schedule and he follows it strictly.” Every minute might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s true that I work hard on having an efficient schedule. Everything in music production and having a home studio requires organization and self-discipline; I am constantly juggling clients and am often the main point of contact between them and the other professionals working on their products. If you’re self-employed, you know you don’t have much of a choice but to get organized. Keeping Track of a Self-Employed Schedule My Apple calendar is probably what Jacob noticed first. I wouldn’t have any idea…
A Q&A with Intern Jake Santiago
My interns continue to make me proud; Jake Santiago sent in these thoughtful insights about his time at the studio. Hopefully mentors and mentees reading along can learn from each other's experiences. Having interns always reminds me of the importance of being organized, and of students following their inquisition to improve their careers. Questions by former intern & assistant Brianna Caleri. Why did you choose to pursue this internship? I chose to pursue an internship with Barry because of recommendation from one of his other students. We go to the same University and he did his internship with Barry and said he might be able to help me set it up. I am very grateful to Barry for taking me in. Music has been a part of me since the…
A Performance of “Doomed Paladin” by Composition Student Andres Virola
High schooler Andres Virola has been taking private lessons with me for the past three years, and he’s come a long way. His school orchestra recently performed a piece that he composed electronically, adapted for strings, trumpet, piano and percussion, “Doomed Paladin.” https://youtu.be/8F-1JnTZ210?t=255 In his spoken introduction, Andres explains that the programmatic piece details a knight’s final fight with vigor and pride, rather than defeat. We can hear a careful balance in the piece between the groups, which often shift in and out of the foreground, and alternate between giving each other space in a patchwork texture, and working homogeneously for the piece’s most triumphant moments. Ascending motifs in the higher strings create an atmosphere of anticipation and determination, while the lower strings play a more mysterious melody. Seizing the…
Supporting Young Musicians by Sharing Resources
A couple weeks ago I got an unexpected, but encouraging email, and I wanted to share the message with you all. “Good afternoon Barry, I just wanted to shoot you a quick email to say thanks. I'm a youth mentor, and one of my mentees…is an extremely talented tuba player. We meet biweekly and go over everything from current homework and projects to his life goals, dreams, aspirations, struggles, etc. He had a project due this week on Music Theory and your [student resources] page…was a great help to him so we wanted to let you know how much he appreciated it. [My high school student has] started exploring his options in terms of where his musical passion and talent can take him for college. Together we found this really…
Tips from a First-time Recording Artist
A recent client, Penni Warner, bravely stepped into a new creative role to record for the first time. With her newfound confidence, she writes to share some tips on making the transition yourself, and making the best of it. [gallery type="rectangular" size="full" link="none" ids="3776,3777"] 1. Ask questions I met Barry about a year and a half ago through a friend whose music he’d produced. At first I was very intimidated. I was calling New York from Missouri, and this was my first time recording anything, so I was not sure how the process would go. The first time we spoke on the phone, Barry allowed me to ask every question I had. I could tell that he was genuinely interested in helping me make my project just the way I wanted…
Old intern, new website, and more!
Guess who’s back? Hi, all. Brianna here! If you’ve been keeping up for a few years (congratulations, and thanks for sticking around), you might remember me as one of Barry’s several high school interns. I’m back for some help around the studio now, including some construction projects and a brand new website! Let’s catch up… After my internship in 2013, I left you with this post talking about a few weeks in the life of a music producer. Soon after, Barry talked me into trying The Artist’s Way. One of the star performers in Barry’s ever-expanding list of book recommendations, The Artist’s Way really set me up to pursue a more productive and purposeful creative life. To kick off that life, I settled on a Music major at Northeastern University…
“Secrets” by Audible Abstraction
Secrets grew from an unfinished flute melody, a dramatic life change and an unexpected pregnancy. The drama it unfolded from informed its mysterious tone and careful use of suspense. Audible Abstraction is a new music trio that looks to redefine the chamber music experience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Rm_SkGHWs Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: One of the first pieces Audible Abstraction played as an ensemble in our workshopping phase was “Secrets,” a stirring composition by Barry. It was clear from the beginning that it held a good story. Barry revealed all the details eventually, but as a good story-teller should, he kept us in suspense. He started with its compositional origins: “While producing Karin Marcello’s album Vision in 2010, I offered to compose a modern piece for flute and harp. The…
Church Songs
The following songs, in diverse styles, were all written and recorded for churches from Queens, NY (The Church Before The Seat of Christ and The Church of New Hymn), using their original lyrics. Each song is pieced together in a streamlined process that often includes the remote recording of vocals in addition to MIDI programming, live instruments and vocals recorded in Barry’s home studio. New projects are added often. Scroll down to hear the most recent songs. 1. I've Finally Beheld God (featuring Donna Cori Gibson) [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Ive-Finally-Beheld-God-FINAL.mp3"][/audio] 2. God Silently Provides For Everyone (featuring Donna Cori Gibson) [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/God-Silently-Provides-for-Everyone-FINAL3.mp3"][/audio] 3. A Lament for a Tragic World (featuring Victoria Faiella) [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/A-Lament-for-a-Tragic-World-FINAL-2.mp3"][/audio] 4. God Paid All the Price to Save Mankind (featuring Billy Ayres) [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/God-Paid-All-the-Price-to-Save-Mankind-FINAL2.mp3"][/audio] …
“Two Minute Catharsis” by Barry Hartglass
"Two Minute Catharsis" is an exploration of how "outside" notes can fit naturally "into" a jazz composition. The listener, even without a formal understanding of jazz, should feel which phrases don’t fit in, and experience a renewed sense of balance when the harmonies return to stability. The saxophone “sings” a melody in haiku form. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: Two Minute Catharsis is a composition for Soprano Saxophone and Omnisphere drone. The drone consists of two sounds from Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2: Dawning and Distant Dreams. I simply held a C for around two minutes. These sounds have more than one note though; an ethereal, suspended chord sounds from them. The melodies are mostly in the C aeolian mode and since the soprano sax is a Bb instrument I…
“Resurgence (for Orchestra)” by Barry Hartglass
“Resurgence” is a ten-minute master’s thesis compiled from a long list of unfinished ideas. Over the years, themes stacked up inspired by everyday events like a cat visiting, and running away. This post-tonal piece is currently a MIDI realization, and includes a score to follow along, if the listener chooses. Score: Resurgence (for Orchestra) Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: Twenty five years after I graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Music in Music Engineering Technology, I decided it was time for another degree! In 2013, I started Graduate Studies in Composition at CUNY Hunter College and received a Master of Arts in Music (composition) in 2015. This was something I always wanted to do since graduating from University of Miami, but first I…
An Internship with Barry Hartglass, by Brianna Caleri
As a senior at North Salem High School, I’m enrolled in a class that entails finding an internship for forty hours, in whatever field you want, and creating a project to solve a problem specific to the student’s mentor or profession. I called Barry and he surprised me by already knowing exactly what he wanted to work on: promoting a new project idea centered around families recording together, something he had been doing annually with his own family. My project became finding a family to record and going through the whole process – selling, scheduling, preparing, recording, editing, mixing, mastering – to really see what recording is like. During most of the forty hours, when I wasn’t working on the project, I would act as his “shadow” and experience what…
Family Recordings
This all started in 2005. I thought it would be fun to record my father singing a few songs in my recording studio. Although not a professional singer, he has the sound and feel of crooners like Billy Eckstine and Frank Sinatra, the singers of his era. I recorded my dad singing a number of old standards and added some music accompaniment after. Blue Moon [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Blue-Moon.mp3"][/audio] After hearing these recordings, my father-in-law wanted to get in on the act too! It then became an annual Father’s Day tradition to record them both singing together, and adding the music accompaniment after... Once In A While [audio mp3="http://barryhartglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Once-In-A-While.mp3"][/audio] In 2008, my brother-in-laws, wanted to become part of the group and then they were also singing on the Father’s Day recordings for…
“Let Your Will Be Done” by Immaculée Ilibagiza
A few years ago, I produced Annie Karto's CD, "Refuge," which featured Annie's "Song For Immaculee." This song was inspired by Immaculee Ilibagiza's incredible book, "Left to Tell." Annie has since become friends with Immaculee and there is a VIDEO of Annie singing her song live, with Immaculee in the audience. The emotional hug at the end of the video is a very touching moment. Because of this new friendship, I had the honor of meeting Immaculee and also producing a new CD for her as well. The CD is called "Let Your Will Be Done" and I am very proud to add this title to my Discography. Reading Immaculee's remarkable story is life changing in her books "Left To Tell" and also "Led By Faith." These books should be…
Freddie Mercury and my father’s bowling shirt
In honor of his 84th birthday, which was on February 2nd, we are all going bowling today with my dad! I should also mention, that like Freddie Mercury, my dad also sings... Well, not really like Freddie Mercury, but maybe more like Billy Eckstine or Frank Sinatra. I recorded dad singing a few times in my studio and then my father-in-law wanted to get in on the act too. It became a Father's Day tradition to record "The Grandfathers" singing together. Soon after, my brother-in-laws, became part of the group and they were singing on the Father's Day recordings also. Last year, I included almost the whole family singing together on a recording on Father's Day... A very musical family!
Songwriting and Copyright
Over the years, I've produced and arranged numerous recordings for songwriters with various levels of music training. Sometimes I am presented with songs that are very complete with lyrics, melody and chords. I am initially given a lyric sheet that may have chord symbols over the words, and maybe a demo recording so I can learn the melody, or the melody will be sung to me in person or over the phone. Whenever I start an arrangement, I always write out the melody and chords using music notation as a first step. I like having a sheet I can refer to. Notated music is my language. But sometimes I am presented with songs that are not as complete. The songwriter may have minimal or no "academic" music background and therefore,…
Relative Pitch
I've always had pretty good relative pitch and consider this an important skill to have if you are a musician or a singer. When I'm learning to play a song or composing, I try to use my ear only (not an instrument) and write down what I hear with a pencil using music notation. Once you know what the first note is, if you have good relative pitch you should be able to tell what the next note is and the note after that also, by recognizing the intervals between the notes. If you have very good relative pitch, you should also be able to recognize the sound of combinations of notes, or chords, as well. If you can't identify these things by ear, then you must guess by noodling…
1 is 7
Shortly after I graduated from college, I started working with Mike Costanzo at his recording studio in midtown Manhattan, MPC Productions. Mike, a very talented producer, engineer and musician, is a very good friend of mine from high school, and it was great to be working with him at his studio. I learned a lot, especially about house music, which I had never heard of before working at MPC. I thought, "We are in an apartment building in the city and there was no house so why is this called house music?" Anyway, at the beginning of one session that I was engineering, one of the faders on the mixing console did not seem to be working. I shouted to Mike who was in the office down the hall, "Hey…
“Float” by Barry Hartglass
“Float” is a word that’s used a lot in yoga when discussing alignment and controlled movement. Written to accompany a set of Kundalini Yoga workouts, this piece settles into a deep, dark “floating” space with drones, slow melodies, and lots of delay. Bill, one of the instructors, says this track gets him particularly “high” during meditation. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The twelfth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is “Float” from the Spirit Trainers' Companion Music CD to the DVD "Practical Yoga for Everyday People." After composing all of the music for their 2005 TV series, "Guru2Go" (15 episodes on Discovery's FitTV), I was asked to compose the music for the Spirit Trainers' yoga DVD a year later. To create the Companion Music CD, I selected my favorite compositions from…
“Venus Lock” by Barry Hartglass
A “venus lock” is a mudra in which the fingers interlock and the hands fold. Written to accompany a set of Kundalini Yoga workouts, this piece uses synthetic sounds to create a light, compelling groove. The melodies are exotic and free-flowing, but the drum loops and non-traditional instrumentation keeps it modern and “practical.” Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The eleventh track on my SoundCloud Playlist is “Venus Lock” from the Spirit Trainers' Companion Music CD to the DVD "Practical Yoga for Everyday People." After composing all of the music for their 2005 TV series, "Guru2Go" (15 episodes on Discovery's FitTV), I was asked to compose the music for the Spirit Trainers' yoga DVD a year later. To create the Companion Music CD, I selected my favorite compositions from the…
"Songbird" by Annie Karto
This rendition of “Songbird” is a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song, closer to the style of Eva Cassidy’s version. This version combines the piano from the original and folk genre of Cassidy’s cover. The result is a light folk rendition with intense emotional depth and a little smoothness from soft cymbals and soprano saxophone. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The tenth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Songbird" by Annie Karto. This song is from Annie's CD, "Refuge" released in 2009 and was dedicated to her husband, David Karto. "Songbird" was written by Christine McVie and was featured on Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" album in 1977. This song was later covered by Eva Cassidy and my arrangement for Annie is more like that version. The main accompaniment instruments…
"Song For Immaculee" by Annie Karto
“Song for Immaculee,” was inspired by Immaculee Illibagiza and her book Left To Tell, about surviving the Rwandan genocide. The track is full of sampled African instruments and voices, and melodies informed by performances by African ensembles. The haunting music expresses sadness, but embodies an uplifting spirit. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The ninth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Song for Immaculee" by Annie Karto. This song is from Annie's CD, "Refuge" released in 2009, and was inspired by the book, Left to Tell by Rwandan genocide survivor, Immaculee Illibagiza. Immaculee's book recounts her experience during the atrocities in Rwanda in 1994 and was on the New York Times bestseller list for many months. "Refuge" was the third of four CDs that I've produced for Annie. Around 10 or…
"Tarot" by Karin Marcello
“Tarot” is an original composition for Karen Marcello on flute, with Karen Lindquist on harp. This piece plays with phrasing, where the two instruments avoid attacking notes at the same time. Karen is a psychic, who reads the Tarot. The music attempts an exotic, mysterious and ancient Egyptian atmosphere. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The eighth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Tarot" by Karin Marcello. "Tarot" is an original composition of mine for flute and harp, written for Karin Marcello, for her "Vision" CD, released in 2010. Karin is a flutist and composer from Long Island. As mentioned in my previous blog about "Danza de las Hachas," all of the flute and harp music for Karin's CD was recorded at BiCoastal Music and edited, mixed and mastered in my studio. The…
"Danza de las Hachas" by Karin Marcello
“Danza de las Hachas” is the third of four movements from Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Fantasia para un gentilhombre,” a concerto for guitar and orchestra. This piece was arranged for Karen Marcello on the flute, with a twenty-piece chamber orchestra by orchestra.net in Prague, recorded in New York over video conference. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The seventh track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Danza de las Hachas" by Karin Marcello. This recording was included on Karin Marcello's "Vision" CD, released in 2010. Karin is a flutist and composer from Long Island. "Danza de las Hachas" is the third of four movements from Joaquin Rodrigo's "Fantasia para un gentilhombre," a concerto for guitar and orchestra. Rodrigo's orchestration was for piccolo, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, guitar and strings. Karin asked me to…
"Vudu" by Batik
Batik is an eclectic jazz/world/fusion group featuring Dave Anthony, Tom Nazziola, Tim Ouimette, John Roggie and Barry Hartglass. “Vudu” features udu fills throughout the recording. This piece is an example of modal jazz, with six modes that repeat throughout, a 7/8 time signature and a very mysterious mood. "Vudu" was composed by Barry Hartglass. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The sixth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Vudu" by Batik. It can also be heard on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dSSRIhDQ9rI As mentioned in my last blog about John Roggie's "Lizarb," Batik is an eclectic jazz/world/fusion group featuring Dave Anthony, Tom Nazziola, Tim Ouimette, John Roggie and myself. "Vudu" was composed by me, and is the title track on Batik's debut CD, "Vudu" released in 2009. "Vudu" is spelled the…
"Lizarb" by Batik
Batik is an eclectic jazz/world/fusion group featuring Dave Anthony, Tom Nazziola, Tim Ouimette, John Roggie and Barry Hartglass. “Lizarb,” Brazil spelled backwards, features a few Brazilian sounds and percussion instruments with some retro funk and electronic sounds. The form is interactive, improvised, and unconventional. "Lizarb" was composed by John Roggie. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The fifth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Lizarb" by Batik. Batik is an eclectic jazz/world/fusion group featuring Dave Anthony, Tom Nazziola, Tim Ouimette, John Roggie and myself. "Lizarb," composed by John Roggie, is the first track on our debut CD, "Vudu" released in 2009. "Lizarb," in case you haven't figured it out, is actually Brazil spelled backwards. "Lizarb" features a few Brazilian sounds and percussion instruments in addition to some wild…
"Goodnight My Hero" by Victoria Faiella
“Goodnight My Hero” was born from a moody piano sketch that Victoria Faiella was drawn to. Time passed and Victoria came up with some ideas that didn’t stick. And then, tragically, unexpectedly — her father passed away. Translating loss to art, beautifully melodies and lyrics came forth, set to an emotional string arrangement. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The fourth track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "Goodnight My Hero" by Victoria Faiella. Victoria and I have written a number of songs together over the years. At one point we decided to see if I had anything in my "pile" of unfinished compositions that might be a good starting point for a new song. I went through what I had and chose a few things to play for her on…
"War Pigs" by Victoria Faiella
WP Victoria Faiella’s version of War Pigs taps into middle eastern themes and instrumentations. These changes reflected the song’s lasting relevance when it was recorded in 2011, and expressed Faiella’s sorrow around the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Black Sabbath intro was replaced with floating middle eastern melodies. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The third track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "War Pigs" by Victoria Faiella. This can also be heard on YouTube: In her feature on Limelight's now extinct Song Clearance website, Victoria explained why we included a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" on her Wild Butterfly CD: The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were weighing heavily on my heart & mind. Like so many people, I too was often debating the issues with family and friends. One morning…
"In Mary’s Arms" by Donna Cori Gibson
The goal of “In Mary’s Arms” was to put the listener at the “foot of the cross” in Jerusalem, in a cinematic style. This piece features solo duduk (a double reed instrument from Armenia, and in this case, a virtual one), and strings by the FAMES orchestra in Macedonia, recorded remotely through a video conference. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The second track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "In Mary's Arms" by Donna Cori Gibson. "In Mary's Arms" is from Donna's CD, The Way of the Cross. In my blog about her song "She Was There," I presented some background information and details about the CD. "In Mary's Arms" is about the thirteenth station, where Jesus' body is taken down from the cross. This may be Donna's most moving song ever. The…
"She Was There" by Donna Cori Gibson
“She Was There,” about Jesus meeting his mother, features a forty-piece string section played by FAMES in Macedonia, and recorded over video conference. This piece was built around a one-man “percussion ensemble” to keep things organic before programming drums. Donna Cori Gibson arranged and sang all of her own vocal parts. Keep reading for the original blog. Full story: The first track on my SoundCloud Playlist is "She Was There" by Donna Cori Gibson. I met Donna at the University of Miami School of Music my first semester there. Ever since then, we have created a lot of music together. I must have worked on more songs for Donna than for anyone else! She is one of the most talented singers and songwriters I've ever met. You can read her…