At Keene State College Today

Today I spent the day at Keene State College in Keene, NH talking to a composition class - listening to student works, and discussing my own. It was a wonderful time - the students presented some excellent compositions, and all of the students had insightful things to say about all of the music we discussed.  It was a lot of fun.

At the end I handed out a little document I recently put together which lists 18 "tips for young composers."  These ideas range from the importance of having a positive attitude to attending conferences and concerts.  They are ideas I have thought about over the last few years of being out of school and trying to further my career as a composer.  You can read the document here.  Enjoy!

Thanks to Keene State and the students for hosting me today, and especially Dr. Heather Gilligan and Dr. James Cheesebrough for organizing my visit!

It's Fun to Laugh

There are several pieces from the 2nd Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern) that I like and certainly respect as being important.  Still, it's fun to laugh and poke fun at art sometimes. Here is a hilarious segment:

Dude Plays a Mean Harmonica!

Check out Buddy Greene playing some amazing harmonica at Carnegie Hall.  He really makes the tiny little handheld instrument sing and is able to produce a variety of colors.  Great stuff!

NWS at the Forefront of Orchestral Innovation

When I lived in Miami for 5 years, one of my favorite destinations was the New World Symphony. I loved watching the youthful and energetic musicians play the heck out of often very interesting and innovative programs.   And of course, Michael Tilson Thomas is a superstar and there was a lot to be learned from watching him (and hearing his remarks on the music).  And, major guests artists abound at NWS, adding a whole new dimension to the orchestra.

NWS has always been at the forefront of orchestral innovation, and so their relatively new "Pulse" series of late night concert events for younger audiences is not that surprising.  They are consistently coming up with interesting and innovative ideas to engage audiences, push boundaries, and offer a really fantastic product for the Miami audiences.

There is no doubt that Miami is very fortunate to have the NWS and all it's leadership in town.  Here is an article from the Miami Herald on the "Pulse" program.

Star Spangled Banner Arrangement at FMEA!

My good friend Chung Park called last night to tell me that the grade 9-10 Florida All-State Orchestra is going to start off their concert Saturday with my arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner!  Chung is this year's Guest Conductor for the All-State Concert Orchestra (which is sure to be an awesome experience for those kids because Chung is an amazing, inspiring musician).  If you are in Tampa Bay on Saturday, here are the details: When: Saturday January 14, 2012 - 2:00pm Where: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Room: Morsani Hall

You can find out more about the Florida All-State Conference here.  And, here is the concert page with info on Chung.

If you are interested in the arrangement, contact me directly, as the music isn't available through my website (yet).

Garbage Trucks that Blast Classical Music!

Yes, I thought the same thing - AWESOME! In Taiwan, garbage trucks play music (mostly classical!) to let residents know the truck is en route to pickup their garbage. Residents need to hand deliver the garbage to the truck instead of leaving it on the sidewalk.  So, the music alerts them that it is "time to take out the trash."  Great stuff!

Music continues to make the world a better, cleaner place!

Watch the action below and Read more here. 

Lhotse at the International Saxophone Symposium

On January 20th, saxophonist Edward Farr will perform my work "Lhotse" as part of the International Saxophone Symposium, presented by the United States Navy Band.  The symposium will be held at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA January 20-21, 2012.  Here are the details for Edward's performance: When: January 20, 2012, 3:00pm Where: Harris Theater, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

If you are in the Washington area, check out the symposium and Edward's performance!

WCMW 2012 - Details Coming Soon!

Last summer, I co-founded the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop, a one-week summer series of free musical events for the community.  It featured top notch professional musicians from the local and regional area, presenting performances and lectures on a wide range of musical topics. This year, we have some exciting plans for the Workshop, and we are currently finalizing details for the events.  I can't say too much yet, other than to say stay tuned!  My hope is that we will be able to announce all the exciting details in the coming few weeks.

Groove Music

I'm currently working on a new piece for saxophone quartet and flute ensemble, a commission from the University of Central Florida. Indeed, you say, what a unique combination of instruments! It's an exciting challenge to create music for this interesting instrumentation.  I've chosen to expand upon a movement of my 4-movement "Nocturnes" for solo piano.

As I started to think about material for saxophone quartet and flute ensemble, I realized that the music from the fourth movement of Nocturnes would score really well for this instrumentation.  And, I have been wanting to expand on the "groove" section in the middle of the piece for some time.  In this new iteration, the opening half of the movement (the slow part) will remain relatively the same, but the fast section will be greatly expanded and the work will end fast, not returning to the slower music like the piano version.  I love driving and rhythmic music, and I'm enjoying working on this section.

The groove made me think of Michael Tilson Thomas, one of my favorite conductors to watch.  He is always so engaged in the music, always grooving, and always having so much fun.  I love it.  I hope my fast, grooving music is as much fun as MTT and Tchaikovsky in this great HD video from the San Francisco Symphony:

New Year :: New Music

In my last post I did a quick recap of 2011, and today I want to touch on my compositional plans for 2012.  I have a bunch of other goals and plans, but for this post I want to focus on pieces I plan (and hope!) to write this year: Nocturne IV - Flute & Saxophone Ensemble Commissioned by the University of Central Florida Flute & Saxophone Ensemble

Magnolia Star - Wind Ensemble A short and energetic piece for wind ensemble based on trains and the blues scale. What could be better!

Keep Me Fully Glad - SATB Choir (?? not sure of exact instrumentation yet) A setting of a beautiful Rabindranath Tagore poem - read more here.

Untitled - Wind Ensemble & Screen A 15 minute work for wind ensemble and film, inspired by the photography of Ansel Adams.  Click here to see a video about the project. Commissioned by a consortium of wind ensembles.  You can join! Contact me here.

Shout! - SATB Choir (?? not sure of exact instrumentation yet) A fun and rousing song with powerful text by one of my favorite poets - my wife!

Morning Hymn - SATB & Piano A setting of the beautiful text (see here) by Charles Wesley

There you have it - my compositions for 2012.  Of course, there will probably be other projects that sneak in here as well.  And, if you/your ensemble wants to commission a piece this year, there is still room!  I can always fit in special projects, but the sooner we start planning, the better!

Best wishes for an exciting 2012!