First Light recording posted!

I now have the recording from the First Light world premiere last weekend, and it's up for your listening pleasure (click "Listen" on the First Light page). It's very quiet at the beginning, so if you don't hear anything, turn your speakers up. Even better, use some good headphones.

An updated perusal score is also posted on that page - it much more accurately reflects the changes we made in rehearsals than the one I had previously.

Here's the band in the Eastman Theater (external window link - the band is too big to fit in this window...)

A big thank you again to everyone in the group!

Labels: First Light, New York All State, NYSSMA

First Light premiere

Returned late Sunday night from snowy Rochester, NY, after a wonderful weekend and fantastic premiere of "First Light" by the New York All-State Symphonic Band. Unfortunatly, I'm still without a computer, so no pictures yet. Ray Cramer led the band in the premiere, and the band really rose to the challenge on all their pieces. They were especially forgiving of the numerous and continuous changes I was making throughout the weekend, and I'm truly pleased with the performance. I should have a recording shortly (certainly before Midwest in two weeks!).

I also spent some time with the young composers in attendance at the conference, and heard some striking talent in both the acoustic and electronic realms. It was a pleasure to meet all of you - keep making music, regardless of whether it's an avocation or a hobby!

I hope to have pictures of this and my Seattle trip with Langley HS from a couple of weeks ago in the near future.

To Ray Cramer, Michael Salzman, Dan Deutsch, Herb Deutsch, James Cassara, Rob and Lori Deemer, the Eastman performers who played Loose Id on Friday, and of course the Symphonic Band - thanks again for making this past weekend at NYSSMA so great!

Labels: First Light, New York All State, NYSSMA

Helpful tip: don't drop your laptop computer

...because that will likely break it, especially if there's a USB thumb drive in one port, and it lands *on* that drive, and smashes it deep into your computer, causing some...distress... to the innards.

All that to say I won't be posting much until my computer returns, which will be another week at least. To everyone in the Langley HS Wind Symphony I met last weekend in Seattle, great concert, and I really liked meeting all of you! If you took pictures, please send them to me when you get a chance.

Coming up in less than a week - the world premiere of First Light by the New York Symphonic Band, under the direction of Ray Cramer. If you're in the Rochester, NY area, please come to the concert on Sunday. I'll be in town for the entire conference, Thurs. night-Sun. afternoon. Look forward to finally seeing Eastman (I've never been).

Hope to have a report and even a recording shortly thereafter - depending on when I get a working computer, I'll post it up here.

Labels: First Light, laptop, New York All State, NYSSMA

First Light...

...is finished. This is the new work for the New York All-State Gigantic Symphonic Band. The horns have plenty of good lines...all 16 of'em.

The piece is a sort of companion work to Dusk, in that it depicts the flip-side, dawn. In particular, the dawn I witnessed in Malcesine, Italy, over the summer. See below for more on that.

A partial perusal score is posted on the First Light page, if you're curious. Premiere will be on December 2nd, at Eastman in Rochester, NY, Ray Cramer conducting. I will be composer-in-residence for the conference, so if you're going to attend the conference, please say 'hi' at some point! As a bonus, some players from Eastman will perform my brass quintet, Loose Id, as well. Awesome (unless they hate me for making them bleed...)

Non sequitur: our balcony squirrel:

Labels: Balcony Squirrel, First Light, Loose Id, Malcesine, NYSSMA