In 2012, Dr. William Eash and the Bethel College Concert Choir (North Newton, KS) commissioned Filled With His Voice for mixed choir, saxophone, and piano. They have since performed the piece several times and will be including the work on their program tomorrow at the Kansas Music Educators Association Conference. Best wishes to Dr. Eash and the choir for a great experience at KMEA! When: February 21, 2013 - 2:35 PM Where: Century II MJT Little Theater, Wichita, KS More details: See a full schedule of KMEA here
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!
Off to Kansas
Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I head out to Kansas for the KMEA Workshop. The Bethel College Wind Ensemble directed by Timothy Shade will be performing "Lauda" and I sure hope my plane is on time - I only have 40 minutes from landing to the start of the concert! Also, on Friday morning I will be participating in a panel discussion about composing and commissioning, organized by Tim. Here is an article that appeared in the Bethel College News yesterday.
Lauda at KMEA in February
I announced a few weeks ago that Lauda will be performed at the Kansas Music Educators Association Workshop in February 2012 in Wichita, KS by the Bethel College Wind Ensemble, under the direction of my good friend Timothy Shade. Here is an article in the Bethel College News with some more information on the program. I will be at KMEA for the performance - hope to see you there!
Florida, Here I Come!
It's been a couple of years since I was in the Sunshine State, but I'm coming back tomorrow! I will be in Delray Beach for the Delray Beach Chorale dress rehearsal tomorrow night, and the premiere of "A Song of Singing" on Saturday December 3rd. Concert info here.
I'm very excited - it will be great to hear this wonderful group of singers perform a really fantastic program of music. I'm honored to have been asked to write a new work in celebration of their 30th anniversary! The piece is joyus, big, and hopefully fun for everyone involved!
Other recent news:
- Goodnight, Goodnight was chosen to be presented in the ACDA Eastern Division Conference Reading Session at the Convention in February.
- Lauda will be performed by the Bethel College Wind Ensemble at the Kansas Music Educators Association’s In-Service Workshop next spring in Wichita, KS. The Bethel Wind Ensemble recently performed the work on November 20th, and will perform the piece again at KMEA in February. Congrats to Timothy Shade and the ensemble who were one of three ensembles chosen out of 66 Kansas ensembles - wow!