Nocturne IV Premiere Performances Coming Next Week

As I detailed in a post here, Nocturne IV is a new work commissioned by the University of Central Florida, scored for saxophone quartet and flute ensemble.  It is based on the fourth movement of my solo piano set, Nocturnes, and the work will be premiered at UCF on the following performances: Monday March 26th - 9:00pm University of Central Florida Woodwind Ensembles Concert Rehearsal Hall, Auditorium (116)

Saturday March 31st - 8:30am - 6:00pm University of Central Florida SaxFest Rehearsal Hall, Auditorium (116)

Best wishes for great performances with this unique ensemble!

Life for a Work After the Premiere

Yesterday I read an interesting article on the Chorus America website titled "What Happens After the Premiere" by Don Lee. The article brings up some interesting points, one of which is that many works are commissioned for a premiere performance and then fall off the map (at least for a certain amount of time).  He points out that there is a distinct marketing advantage for a group to present the premiere versus the 2nd or 3rd performance of a piece.  But, to be honest, I'm not sure the audience really thinks about this as much as the ensemble does.

The audience is there to hear great music, and they are there to be enriched regardless of whether that performance is the very first, or the 2nd, or the 100th.  As a composer, I am of course a huge proponent of commissioning and I think there are myriad benefits, but I am also a huge proponent of supporting pieces after they have been premiered.  Given all the work that goes into bringing a new piece to life, I think we need to be careful to not just premiere a work to pomp and circumstance and then forget about it.

In his article, Lee points to some good programs and partnerships that are striving to address this issue.  Composers certainly have some responsibility here and must do everything they can to ensure that the works have life beyond the premiere performance.

Polyphonic.org - WCMW Webinar on Monday!

On Monday March 19th at 8:00pm eastern, Ashley and I will present a webinar titled "Presenting Concerts in Your Local Community – Creative Ideas for Making Concerts Happen Anywhere."  The Webinar is part of the Polyphonic On Campus webinar series (view past webinars here). We will talk about the process of how we started the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop, and use it as a case study for thinking about how to make musical events happen in any community, large or small.  Hopefully it will be fun and interesting so if you are free, sign up! The webinar is free and the great thing about webinar technology is that you can participate from anywhere in the world! All you need is a computer and an internet connection.  See you Monday!

Spirituals: A Lecture Recital

Monday evening Ashley and I presented a lecture recital on Spirituals. We discussed and performed Go Down Moses, Deep River, and Wade in the Water.  We talked a bit about the history of the Spiritual, and tried to present the context of what was happening at the time of their development.  We also talked about possible deeper meanings within the works - of course on the surface Spirituals appear to be songs based on biblical stories, but it seems plausible that they also had meaning related to the underground railroad and the Slaves' journey for freedom.

We transcribed the Harry T. Burleigh arrangements (voice & piano) for saxophone and piano and had a great time working on these songs.  There is so much depth and beauty in these works, and so much to consider in terms of the texts, the music, and how they complement each other.  Hopefully I will have a video clip to post soon.  In the meantime, enjoy a recording of your favorite Spiritual today and be appreciative for these wonderful songs!

Idea for a New Piece

Sometimes I just improvise at the piano to come up with ideas that might turn into something.  Occasionally an idea sticks around, comes back to me several days later, and I'm not sure why (at the time).  But often times, ideas like that are the seeds for a new work.  This happened a few days ago - I came up with a simple little chord progression that sounded nice, but disregarded it and went back to work on something else. I didn't even write it down.  Then on Wednesday I was sitting at the piano and I found myself fiddling with this chord progression again. Now the ideas have been in my head almost non-stop for the past few days.  Even though it is in some ways distracting from a piece I'm trying to finish (Magnolia Star for wind ensemble), it's always exciting when this sort of inspiration happens, and I don't mind the distraction one bit. I think the ideas will work great for both an SATB choral piece and possibly a wind band transcription.  The essence of the idea is an 8 bar harmonic progression  in 3/4 time that would be repeated, each time adding a new layer of counterpoint, or a new voice, etc.  It will definitely start as a choral work, and I'm thinking the text might just be "Alleluia."  The idea reminds me in some ways of Mozart's Dona Nobis Pacem canon, which has a special place in my heart because it is sung community-sing style at the conclusion of the Eastman Holiday Sing each year in December.   Here is the 2010 performance directed by the great Mark Scatterday (even though you can't see him in the video):

Goodnight, Goodnight for Band at Henderson State - April 18

I'm happy to announce that on April 18th, Steve Knight will conduct the Henderson State University Symphony Band in a performance of Goodnight, Goodnight. Here are more details: Henderson State University Symphony Band Performance When: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 7:30 PM Where: Arkansas Hall Auditorium Webpage: here

Thank you to Steve Knight and Dr. Jesse Leyva for their support of my music, and best wishes for a great performance!

Lauda Performance Tomorrow at Troy University

Dr. Mark Walker, Director of Bands at Troy University in Troy, Alabama leads a performance tomorrow, March 6, of Lauda.  Lauda was also recently performed by Gary Green and the University of Miami Wind Ensemble on February 27, and the Bethel College Wind Ensemble at KMEA on February 23rd.  Best wishes to the Troy University Symphony Band for a great performance tomorrow!

Announcing the 2012 WCMW Events!

Last year's Westminster Chamber Music Workshop was a great success and we are looking forward to sharing more wonderful music experiences with the community this year.  For our second season, the WCMW will present four exciting events - one on each of the Saturdays in May - May 5, May 12, May 19, May 26.  These special events are intended to be educational, entertaining, and fun, combining the performance of music with insight from our esteemed guest artists.  Best of all, in keeping with our mission to provide all people with exposure to excellent musical opportunities, all events are FREE of charge and OPEN to ALL!  If you are anywhere near central MA or the Boston area, please join us! Saturday May 5, 2012 – 7:00pm First Congregational Church of Westminster 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA 01473 THE SAMIRAH EVANS JAZZ TRIO Co-Presented by CenterStage at FSU

Saturday May 12, 2012 – 7:00pm First Congregational Church of Westminster 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA 01473 COMMUNITY SING Led by Dr. Susan Conkling

Saturday May 19, 2012 – 7:00pm First Congregational Church of Westminster 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA 01473 THE SAXOPHONE QUARTET Directed by Lynn Klock

Saturday May 26 – 7:00pm First Congregational Church of Westminster 138 Main Street, Westminster, MA 01473 THE COPERNICUS DUO Jamecyn Morey - violin, David Bebe - cello

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Couldn't resist that title.  Anyway, yes, I am back home after a wonderful trip to KMEA in Wichita, KS.  I flew in Thursday and just barely missed the Bethel College Wind Ensemble's performance of Lauda! Ahhrrrrg!  However, everyone I talked to raved about the Bethel Wind Ensemble, so I'm very happy for them and congratulate them on what sounds like a fantastic performance.  My hat goes off to my good friend Timothy Shade who not only conducted that fine ensemble, but also played euphonium, trombone, and ran 2 clinics at the conference!  He is an inspiring musician, full of love and passion for music, and I really enjoy working with him.  I also had a great time visiting with Tim's wife Gabby, Adrian Sandi (1st clarinet in the Wichita Symphony and a friend from ESM) and composer Derek Jenkins. Derek, Tim, and I presented a clinic Friday morning on composing and commissioning, and here is a link to a handout I put together on the subject.

It was also great to meet new friends and colleagues and I look forward to some exciting new projects in the future.  Hopefully I will be back to KMEA soon!

Panel Discussion - Composers on Composing & Commissioning

This morning I participated in a panel discussion at KMEA (Kansas All-State Conference) titled "Composers on Composing and Commissioning."  The session was organized by my friend Timothy Shade, Conductor of the Bethel College Wind Ensemble, who performed "Lauda" on Thursday at the conference.  Composer Derek Jenkins and myself talked about writing for wind ensembles, our experience with commissioning, and fielded some excellent questions from the attendees. Derek is a wonderful composer, and it was a pleasure to hear more of his music and hear him discuss his compositional process. I put together this handout: Thoughts On Commissioning, for the occasion.  The handout is by no means an exhaustive tutorial on commissioning, but is instead just some general ideas and information for those interested in commissioning a piece of music.  Many thanks to Tim for organizing the fun discussion and for all the folks that participated!