Composer
Many (all?) states in the US have a “list” of music for school bands, orchestras, and choirs to choose from when performing at state-sanctioned contests. The biggest of these is the Texas Prescribed Music List (everything’s bigger in Texas…), and many other states simply copy this list for their own use. After 12 years of… continued
Anthem is finally posted! This is the live premiere at Purdue University, conducted by Jay Gephart, last April. I conducted 6 of my other works with their bands while I was there, but told Jay I couldn’t conduct the premiere of a brand new piece – I really wanted to sit in the audience… continued
My fellow composers and I have written a number of times about self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, covering everything from copyright to licensing to notation. However, I don’t recall that we have actually demonstrated, in simple steps, the physical process of making of the paper product, so I shot a video here in my home studio/office… continued
I made a short video tour of my home studio. It’s not Jerry Bruckheimer material, but I invite anyone with FX skills to add lasers and explosions.
I finished two new pieces last week. That makes three in the past month. This can’t be good for me… The first, Anthem, is a brand new work for Jay Gephart and the Purdue University Wind Ensemble, commissioned to celebrate the Purdue Bands’ 125th anniversary. It’s 7’30” of joy, featuring twittering flutes, vibraphone, glockenspiel,… continued
Crazy weekend of performances ahead! (Late) tonight, Verena and I drive down to Columbia, SC, for the University of South Carolina Band Clinic, featuring the three USC bands, the Palmetto Concert Band, and hundreds of high school students in 4 honor bands. And almost all of them are doing at least one piece… continued
Back in May, 2010, my dear friend Hila Plitmann performed her own concert of songs at the Boston Court Theater in LA. In addition to her own amazing originals, she asked a number of people to arrange some popular songs for her. I was honored to arrange Nine Inch Nails’… continued
Rod Schueller and the Texas State University Wind Ensemble will perform Ecstatic Waters for Wind Ensemble + Electronics at TMEA (San Antonio, TX) this Thursday afternoon, at 2pm. I’ll be there dropping the mad beatz (i.e., pressing the laptop buttons). The program includes first movement of Jonathan Newman‘s Symphony… continued
I’m in Columbus, OH for The Ohio State University Wind Symphony’s performance of my Concerto for Wind Ensemble. Heard rehearsal tonight, and they sound GREAT. They’ve obviously been putting in the practice time, and they own the piece. They’re also playing a newly-transcribed work, Vigil, by Michael Gilbertson, who’s here as well, and… continued
If you’re waaaay up near the Canadian border in New York state, you have the opportunity to hear the second-ever performance of my brand new Concerto for Wind Ensemble. Brian Doyle and the Crane School of Music Wind Ensemble will perform the work tonight (Nov. 22nd) at 7:30pm, in Hosmer Concert Hall…. continued
Fellow composer and friend Michael Markowski spent the week with me in Austin, generously volunteering to follow me around TMZ-style with a video camera for the world premiere and recording of my Concerto for Wind Ensemble. This means I now have a LOT of footage that I’ve managed not to edit together…… continued
The Concerto for Wind Ensemble world premiere performance is posted (look in the dark green box for the “UT World Premiere” link)! Given the surround/antiphonal nature of the work, this isn’t quite the same as sitting in the middle of it all, but it still sounds great. The University of Texas Wind Ensemble players… continued