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!

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.

Boston Symphony Orchestra - Post-Concert Thoughts

On Friday (February 17), Ashley and I took the train into Boston and attended the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert (tickets were a gift from her siblings!).  The BSO performed Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, Stravinsky's Concert for Piano and Winds and Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich.  Peter Serkin was the piano soloist for the Stravinsky and the program was conducted by Stephane Deneve. I didn't want to write a "review" of the concert, but rather share some thoughts.  So, I decided a bulleted list might be appropriate:

• The Ravel was beautiful - such a imaginative and graceful piece of music.  The playing in the orchestra was fantastic all around.  There was especially wonderful playing from the flutes and english horn.
• Peter Serkin was brilliant in the Stravinsky - he can play fast, let me tell you.  And, he also played with great sensitivity.   The 2nd movement was my favorite - it had a sense of great depth and urgency within the beautiful harmonic progression Stravinsky constructed.
• The ending of the first movement of the Stravisnky is sheer awesomeness.  I love endings that are unexpected, and yet satisfying and powerful.
• The first movement of the Shostakovich is a brilliant piece of motivic development, and the orchestra played with great energy and passion.  To me, the high point of the concert in terms of energy was the first few minutes of the final movement. The orchestra absolutely tore through the music and the enthusiasm was palpable.  However, to my ear, they didn't recoup that level of energy, even at the ending.  Unlike the Stravinsky, the ending was predictable, and lacked the satisfaction of a truly powerful and overwhelming end.  Nevertheless, most people jumped to their feet and clapped with reckless abandon.  I was left feeling a little underwhelmed, but still very happy to be there.
• Overall, it was a great concert and inspiring performance.

Upcoming Performances

February 18, 2012"Goodnight, Goodnight" included in the JW Pepper "Directors Reading Band" Session at CA All-State Directed by Dr. Jesse Leyva Fresno, CA

February 23, 2012 Bethel College Wind Ensemble performs "Lauda" Directed by Timothy Shade Kansas Music Educators Association Workshop Wichita, KS

February 27, 2012 University of Miami Wind Ensemble performs "Lauda" Directed by Gary Green University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

March 9, 2012 Troy University Symphony Band performs "Lauda" Directed by Dr. Mark Walker Troy, Alabama

March 31, 2012 University of Central Florida Saxophone & Flute Ensemble premieres "Nocturne IV" Annual UCF SaxFest - Orlando, FL

May 20, 2012 Greater Gardner Community Choir performs "Goodnight, Goodnight" Directed by Diane Cushing Gardner, MA

The Greatest Goal

Yesterday I posted about presenting a preschool music program to an enthusiastic audience of 56(!) little children (see here).  It was fun and rewarding on many levels, and it made me think about my own musical experiences as a child.  Music was a huge part of my childhood, and continued to be a very present and important part of my life throughout my schooling.  Ultimately, it was passionate and inspiring teachers who sparked my creativity and made me want to pursue music as a career.  Working with the preschoolers - their wonderfully imaginative and curious minds - made me think about perhaps my greatest goal as a musician: to inspire others to love music as much as I do.  Ever since I realized the impact that those wonderful teachers of mine had on me, I knew that my greatest goal would be to pass on that inspiration and hopefully spark an interest in others to pursue music.  By inspire, I mean provide a spark on any level - not necessarily inspire someone to pursue a life in music.  Rather, it could be as simple as planting a seed of interest in taking private music lessons. I think the greatest gift I have received as a student of music, both as a child and an adult, has been the inspiration of great teachers and mentors. Their passion, their desire for excellence, their creativity, and their love for music has always been a source of inspiration for me. So, my greatest goal is to hopefully be that inspiration for someone else.

A Morning of Preschool Music!

Today Ashley and I presented a short musical program for preschoolers - it was a blast! We had an incredible turnout - 56 children plus teachers and parents! "Saxophone Steve" (my made-up superhero saxophone character!) made a surprise entrance playing some jazzy saxophone, and we sang a bunch of fun songs with the joyful crowd.  We even handed out stickers at the end! See Ashley's post here for a full description of our program.

Composing Anywhere (and Everywhere!)

Composers have famously carried little black books with them to jot down ideas, regardless of where they are when inspiration strikes.  I don't necessarily do this, but I do find myself thinking about composing pretty much everywhere - while walking, driving, eating, etc.  And, I find myself working on pieces in various locations.  Obviously, when we travel we are forced to work outside of our normal spaces and sometimes get some work done in a hotel room or in a cafe.  I have always enjoyed working in cafes and coffee shops, where there is some bustle but also some ability to concentrate.  At the same time, I also like very quiet and secluded places where I can really focus on creating ideas and hearing them in my head.  However, those quiet and secluded places seem to be less and less common these days.  Today I find myself in a library where it is relatively quiet, but not without people walking by and some ambient noise.  I have my score for Magnolia Star (latest wind ensemble piece) here and I'm thinking about sounds, sections, and form.  It's nice to be able to get some amount of composition work done from anywhere.

Giving Back

Today I made a small donation to each of the two schools where I studied (University of Miami Frost School of Music, Eastman School of Music). I have donated in the past, but rather irregularly, and now I'm making a commitment to donate every year.  I think this is important, because both these institutions provided me with so many opportunities, so many experiences, and so much learning which have all proved invaluable.  I recognize how much I gained from these experiences, and I want to make sure those opportunities exist for many students in the future.

It may sound a little corny, but I really believe that if everyone gave back a very small amount, it would have a huge impact on these institutions (and future generations of students).   Sometimes those 7:00pm dinner time calls from cheerful student fundraisers seem contrived, but one thing they say is definitely true - any amount you can give makes a difference.

So if you can, give back.