CBDNA begins… (plus the radio show download)
Familiar faces are swooping into town from everywhere, as the national CBDNA conference gets underway here in Austin. It’s nice to go to one of these big conventions…and still be at home. In fact, I’ve lived in or near the city of each of the past three national conventions – New York in 2005, Ann Arbor in 2007 (I lived down the road in Bowling Green), and now Austin in 2009. If this continues, that’d mean I’ll be in Seattle in 2011, but that doesn’t look likely at this point.
Last night the first wave of the Japanese contingent arrived, in full party mode. I treated them to some snacks at Moonshine Grill, and introduced them to Shiner Bock and Shiner 100. They seemed to approve. 🙂
More this week, I’m sure – my big concert is Friday night with Jerry Junkin and the Univ. of Texas Wind Ensemble. Family and friends from all over are coming in for the group’s performance of Ecstatic Waters, as well as the world premiere of V’s new wind band transcription of John Corigliano’s Mr. Tambourine Man on the very same concert. Hila Plitmann (that’d be Grammy-Award-Winning-Vocalist-Hila-Plitmann) is here to sing the premiere, and she sounded unbelievable in rehearsal today. It’s going to be a hell of a night. In fact, the whole week has some of the most exciting programs I’ve ever seen – premieres and pieces by many of my friends and contemporaries, as well as William Bolcom’s new symphony on Saturday night. All the gory details here.
I also hear JM has a brand new camera, so expect many pictures from this corner of the web. I’m just eager to finish off the week with an Asphalt Cocktail.
Lastly, here’s the radio interview I did last week: Knowing the Score, with Dan Welcher. It’s a 68Mb download, FYI. One small misleading bit (that I neglected to tell Dan – it’s my fault, not his) – I’d just returned from Japan when we did the interview, but not for a performance of Ecstatic Waters, as Dan mentioned, but for the premiere of a brand new work, Axis Mundi, which, if you’re one of the two people who read this blog, you will already know. Enjoy!