Duluth Day 1
Last night we had the first of three concerts this weekend here in Duluth, MN. I had the pleasure of conducting Chester Leaps In and Wings That Work with the Twin Ports Wind Orchestra on the first half of the concert, followed by Suite Dreams with the UMD Symphonic Band on the second half. I was particularly happy to do Wings That Work, since this is the first time I’ve heard the work since the premiere over five years ago. This was also the first time I’ve ever conducted Suite Dreams, and holy cow is it a fun piece to conduct. The Symphonic Band played really, really well, and I’m excited we get to do the piece again on Sunday’s concert!
Today, it’s off to work with the High School honor bands on campus this weekend – I’m conducting Dusk and MetaMarch with one of the bands. We started yesterday morning, and I admit I was a little nervous. I’ve never done a full honor band weekend, starting the group from the very beginning of their first rehearsal. I usually just show up, flap my arms in front of a group that’s already well-rehearsed, and take a bow. This has been educational for me, and a lot of fun – seeing the progress they’ve made just in the first two rehearsals is satisfying, and we’ll have a great concert this afternoon! So, a little bit of a Music Education weekend for me. Dad would’ve been proud.