The inaugural Ruth Wales du Pont Collegiate Composition Competition was open to college students from around the US. After a rigorous audition process, six finalists in classical and pop music were chosen and their works will be heard on Sunday. There, a panel of judges –including me, and powerhouses Dr. Erin Busch, and Georgia Still–and … Read More
You probably remember cellist Tommy Mesa and pianist Yoon Lee recently performed my work Pas de Deux in Washington, DC and Hattiesburg, MS, well I’m excited to report that Tommy was on the recipients of the very prestigious a 2025 Avery Fisher Career grant. He joins an illustrious group including Yuja Wang, Gil Shaham, James … Read More
The Angel for voice and chamber ensemble from William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience Carol Shaffer, Mezzo-Soprano, and Balance Campaign Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7:30 pm, Ward Hall Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, free Sweet Stillness for soloists, mixed choir, and ensemble on texts by Barthold Heinrich Brockes and Joel Phillip … Read More
I’ll be our joining our composition students and other Catholic Univeristy faculty writing a joint song cycle setting of excerpts from William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience for talented CUA singers (in my case Carolyn Shaffer) and the awesome ensemble-in-residence Balance Campaign. My friend and colleague Stephen Gorbos and impresario thought up this wonderful … Read More
“The Constitution is worth saving, the rule of law is worth saving, democracy is worth saving, but these things can and will be lost if everyone waits around for someone else.” –Timothy D. Snyder [divider] [/divider] We are living in dangerous times — politically and socially — and part of what makes them so dangerous … Read More
The cat’s out of the bag: I was one of the local Industry Judges for the 2022 WAMMIES, the DMV Region’s Premiere Music Awards Show. The WAMMIES yield thousands of nominations for 60 award categories, representing 20+ genres and D.C.’s vibrant and impressive music community. Last night also recognized two visionary leaders of The Musicianship, … Read More
My next Stanford class, MUS 178B Four More by Sondheim: West Side Story, Gypsy, A Little Night Music, and Pacific Overtures, will be offered through Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program (CSP) as a live virtual online course on 4 FRIDAYS: Apr 29—May 20 from 11:00 am—1:00 pm (PT). A continuation of last spring’s Sondheim course, we will focus on four landmark musicals: two … Read More
More awards and accolades for Light As Paper, the beautiful and evocative short film created by my friends and collaborators at Evolve Puppets (Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weill). First it was a selection for the 2021 Vienna International Film Awards, and now selected by Animovies Festival of Animated Objects. Light as a Feather uses excerpts … Read More
Those three forces of nature, otherwise known as ModernMedieval – founder Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, Martha Cluver, and Eliza Bagg – did two more superb performances of their Words of Love and Wisdom program, including my badass Hildegarde piece From: All Things Are Set Ablaze, as part of the Electric Earth Concerts, Keene, NH. and then at the spectacular … Read More
I had a great time last week at Shenandoah Conservatory in beautiful Winchester, Virginia. A *very* full visit with friends conductor Tim Robblee and composer extraordinaire Jonathan Newman and the the faculty and students. I taught composition lessons, gave a masterclass, had rehearsal, and heard my Elastic Band (Octet version) performed at the über-hip Bright … Read More