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 - 2:00pmWhere: 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).
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!
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, 3:00pmWhere: Harris Theater, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
If you are in the Washington area, check out the symposium and Edward's performance!
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.
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:
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!
I like to think that I am always forging ahead, ready to dive into the next project, learn from new experiences, etc. But, every now and then it is good to look back and evaluate our path, make goals and strategies for the future, and put things in perspective.
2011 was a great year in many ways.
First and foremost, I married a loving, caring, and musical(!) woman whom I can't imagine living without. I also composed a bunch of new works, and looking back, I'm pretty happy with them! That is always good - not having to burn too much music! I saw many friends and colleagues throughout the year, and made wonderful new acquaintances. Dedicated performers and conductors put a wealth of time, energy, and musicality into performances of my music this year, and I'm grateful for their passion.
Here are the new pieces I composed in 2011 (in date order, oldest to newest):
Well, we actually didn't have a tree this year... but I did get some lovely presents which were beautifully wrapped. Among the highlights are a set of poems that my wonderful wife gathered together for me. She knows that I love to peruse poetry for possible song texts, and she has a great ability to find texts that resonate deeply with me. She has given me this type of gift before, and several recent pieces have been the result of her poetry finds.
Given my recent work with a Tagore text (see here) she included several fantastic Tagore poems that I had not discovered previously. Her gift of about 15 poems included this one on top (beautiful!):
KEEP ME FULLY GLAD
by Rabindranath Tagore
Keep me fully glad with nothing.
Only take my hand in your hand.
In the gloom of the deepening night
take up my heart and play with it as you list.
Bind me close to you with nothing.
I will spread myself out at your feet and lie still.
Under this clouded sky
I will meet silence with silence.
I will become one with the night
clasping the earth in my breast.
Make my life glad with nothing.
The rains sweep the sky from end to end.
Jasmines in the wet untamable wind
revel in their own perfume.
The cloud-hidden stars thrill in secret.
Let me fill to the full my heart
with nothing but my own depth of joy.
Welcome to day 3, the final day of the Christmas Carol/Song list. Miss the previous posts in this series? Catch up here and here.
Before we get to the songs of the day, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! And today, on the final day of the list, you get a BONUS track - three selections! Let's get started.
Traditional Pick of the Day - Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
There's not much to say about "Lo, How a Rose" except that when it's done right, it will take your breath away. It is a carol of German origin, and here is a wonderful recording with the German text by the Monteverdi Choir.
Guilty Pleasure Pick of the Day - Silver Bells - The Temptations
Family trips in the car to Vermont every Christmas pretty much consisted of my brother and I fighting the entire time, and listening to the Temptations Christmas tape.
Yes kids, that's right, I said "tape."
We had a cassette tape, and man did we get our money's worth out of that thing. Here is the Temptations singing a classic Christmas song. It just brings warmth to your heart and a smile to your face!
BONUS TRACK!! - Lo, How a Rose/The Rose
This is a unique arrangement of "Lo, How a Rose" and "The Rose," an Amanda McBroom song made famous by Bette Midler. This makes the list because "The Rose" is actually my mother's favorite song - and for good reason - it's a beautiful song. So, Mom - this one is for you!
(P.S. As a composer I must give my two cents here for a moment - I think the arrangement could have done more integrating the two songs, one on top of another, instead of simply dovetailing the phrases of one song with the other. But, it's still a fun piece. Ok, off my composer soapbox.)
Welcome to day 2 of the Christmas Carol/Song list! Catch up with Part I here.
Traditional Pick of the Day: O Little Town of Bethlehem - performed by the Marsh Chapel Choir directed by Dr. Scott Allen Jarrett
There's no question that this is a wonderful Christmas carol. But to be honest, I'm including it on the list both because of the beauty of the carol itself, and because I wanted to post a performance by the Marsh Chapel Choir and conductor Scott Jarrett.
Until a couple of weeks ago I didn't know anything about the Marsh Chapel Choir, but I was fortunate enough to attend their annual Lessons and Carols service and it completely blew me away. It's an amazing ensemble, with one of the most sensitive and talented conductors I have seen in a long time.
See for yourself: (P.S. Keep watching if you like "In The Bleak Midwinter" and/or "Hark the Herald Angels Sing.")
Guilty Pleasure Pick of the Day - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Harry Connick, Jr.
Fun, classic song with a wonderful arrangement by Harry Connick, Jr. It makes the list because the opening of Connick's arrangement is maybe the best opening of any Christmas song arrangement I have heard. It's so good, it's "bad" in jazz lingo. So bad... so bad.
Here's a recording where someone out there created a synchronized show between the music and the Christmas lights on their house. Would I do this with my free time? Probably not. But the song still rocks.
