This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting a rehearsal of the NYSSMA New York All-State Wind Ensemble, conducted by Jared Chase. The opener for their program was my Magnolia Star, and these young musicians sounded incredible! We spent about 45 minutes together, worked on some musical details, and I tried my best to answer all their great questions about music careers, improvisation, what inspired my work, and more. It was super fun, and the concert at Eastman Theater was equally thrilling. These fantastic young musicians had the great honor of playing on Eastman Theater stage and looking out to a packed, beautiful hall. It was a great honor for me as well, and I'm grateful!
Northshore Concert Band features Magnolia Star
I’m thrilled that the Northshore Concert Band, directed by Mallory Thompson, will perform Magnolia Star on their November 5, 2016 concert. The band recently featured my work on their blog – check it out here.
From the Sydney Opera House to the Steps of the U.S. Capitol
Magnolia Star (for wind band) was recently performed at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia by the Los Altos High School (CA) Festival Ensemble and by the U.S. Navy Band on the steps of the U.S. Capitol! It is a great honor to have my work included on these programs. Magnolia Star has been performed by a wide range of ensembles: high school, all-state, college, community, and professional. This past year it was performed by both the U.S. All-National High School Band and the Canadian National High School Honor Band.
New Recording of "An Hour of Hallowed Peace" for SATB Choir & Piano
An Hour of Hallowed Peace is now published by Augsburg Fortress Press! They have produced a wonderful recording of the piece - you can listen and view the music in this YouTube video:
Residency at University of Central Florida: Recap and Pictures
This past week, I had the privilege of visiting the University of Central Florida and working with the UCF Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Chung Park. The orchestra premiered two new pieces of mine - Vermont State Fair and Winter Song - on two concerts.
On Friday, February 20th, the orchestra presented an open rehearsal for an audience of several hundred people at St. Luke’s Church in Oviedo. The first concert was held at St. Luke’s Church on Saturday, February 21st, and on February 22nd, the orchestra traveled to Leesburg, FL to present the program at Hawthorne at Leesburg. Between all these events, about 2,000 people heard this brand new music!
In addition to working with the orchestra, I had a great time meeting composition students at UCF and presenting a short talk featuring career tips for composers.
Here are a few pictures from the events:
- Looking over the score to Vermont State Fair as the UCF Symphony presented an open rehearsal at St. Luke’s Church, Oviedo, FL. Image Compliments of Oviedo Photo Club
- Giving a presentation to student composers titled “Composing as Your Career (or part of your career).” Photo by Chung Park.
- Pre-concert lecture with conductor Chung Park at St. Luke’s Church, Oviedo, FL. Image Compliments of Oviedo Photo Club
- Pre-concert lecture with conductor Chung Park at St. Luke’s Church, Oviedo, FL. Image Compliments of Oviedo Photo Club
- Concert at St. Luke’s Church, Oviedo, FL. George Weremchuk, soprano saxophone premiered “Winter Song” with the UCF Symphony and conductor Chung Park. Image Compliments of Oviedo Photo Club
- George Weremchuk, me, and Chung Park after the performance at Hawthorne at Leesburg in Leesburg, FL. Photo by Ashley Danyew.
Thanks so much to Chung Park and the UCF composition faculty for having me, and George Weremchuk and the students of the Symphony Orchestra for performing my music!
Saxophone Quartet No. 2 to be Recorded by the Iridium Saxophone Quartet on the Blue Griffin Label
Exciting news! My Saxophone Quartet No. 2: Chant will be recorded this coming May by the Iridium Saxophone Quartet. The CD release is planned for Fall 2016 on the Blue Griffin Label. Stay tuned!
2015: A Year in Review
Happy New Year's Eve! As 2015 comes to a close, I'm spending a little time looking back on the past 12 months and remembering everything that happened this year. I don't often share behind-the-scenes posts, but today, I thought it might be fun to share a few of my favorite things from 2015.
Enjoy!
HIGHLIGHTS
2015 was a big year for me, personally and professionally. My wife and I bought our first home in Rochester, NY this summer (a 1920 Colonial) and we're slowly learning how to be homeowners (and how to fix things!).
On a professional note, it was an honor to have my music performed at a number of all-state conferences and honor band festivals in New York, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Hawaii, and Kentucky. In addition, I was thrilled to have my music performed at the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference in July and by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honor Band at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in October.
I attended the Chamber Music America (CMA) conference in NYC in January and helped organize the pre-conference day, "How to Succeed in a Changing Musical World," hosted by Eastman's Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research. We had a great time at the conference and enjoyed exploring Times Square for a few days!
RESIDENCIES
I had the pleasure of working with several great high school and college bands this year (and a church choir, or two!), with residencies, guest rehearsals, and Skype sessions at Nazareth College, Augustana University, Liverpool High School, Trinity Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Arkansas Tech Summer Band Festival, and Canandaigua Academy, among others.
PERFORMANCES
As a composer, the best part of my job is when people play (or sing) my music. This year, I counted over 65 performances in 18 states (and I know I'm missing some! Side note: I'd love to include your performance on my events calendar! Just fill out this form).
PUBLICATIONS
As most of you know, I self-publish the majority of my work, but over the past few years, I've started working with a few publishers for some of my choral and chamber music. This year, I had five pieces accepted for publication with Colla Voce, Augsburg Fortress, and Keyboard Percussion Publications:
- Speaking Love - An Hour of Hallowed Peace - Wake, O My Soul - Filled With His Voice - Chorale Variations
COMMISSIONS/NEW PIECES
It was a busy writing year for me, with two new pieces for band (Vermont State Fair and River Town Jubilee), two pieces for orchestra (Winter Song and Vermont State Fair), a new chamber version of "A Country Boy in Winter" (from Alcott Songs), and my second song cycle (New England Folk Songs).
P.S. Thinking about a commission for the 2016-2017 year? Let's talk!
As always, thanks for your continued encouragement and support of my music. Cheers to 2016!
SD
Hearing "Filled With His Voice" Live
It is always exciting to attend performances of my music in person, and occasionally this happens in the Rochester area, where I live. This past weekend, Dr. Jared Chase led a performance of “Filled With His Voice” with a mass choir consisting of several Rochester-area church choirs. It was wonderful to hear the rich sound of 60 or so voices singing this piece, along with beautiful saxophone playing by Dr. Chisato Eda Marling and piano playing by Alex Kuczynski. Thanks so much to all who were involved!
New Song Cycle for Medium Voice and Piano: New England Folk Songs
Introducing my newest song cycle, New England Folk Songs! In this cycle, I explore the New England seasons with texts penned by New England poets. Written for medium voice and piano, the cycle takes you through all four New England seasons through the lenses of 19th/early 20th century poets Louisa May Alcott, Emily Dickinson, and Sarah Orne Jewett. Read more about the work, see the score, and order online here.
New Publications Available!
I'm pleased to share that three of my works recently accepted for publication are now available directly from the publishers: Augsburg Fortress, Colla Voce Music, and Keyboard Percussion Publications.
- Chorale Variations, commissioned by the percussion duo Escape X, is now available from Keyboard Percussion Publications here.
- Speaking Love, a Christmas Carol for SATB Choir and Piano is now available from Colla Voce Music here.
- Filled With His Voice, (SATB+piano+alto sax) commissioned by the Bethel College Concert Choir directed by Dr. William Eash, is now available in the St. Olaf Choral Series of Augsburg Fortress here.