I haven’t updated this site in a while — lots of stuff to share from the last few years!
Most recently and notably, I composed the score and arranged several old folk/campaign tunes for Philip Marshall’s 3-part miniseries, “F.S. Key: After the Song,” which will air nationally on PBS stations this September (2017). Check your local listings!
I’ll post some tracks on my site soon.
I just finished a crazy weekend composing a score for Baltimore’s 48-Hour Film Festival.
Film-making teams select a film genre from a hat on Friday night, and they must create (write, cast, shoot, edit, etc.) a short film from scratch by Sunday night. (The festival also provides a character, a prop, and a line that must be included in the film). I did most of my composing on Saturday, once the director sent me a script. But the real task is adjusting my music to fit the actual footage which is usually not ready until Sunday morning.
I’ll post a video soon — the film will be screened at the Charles Theater on Tuesday, June 25th at 9pm.
My Big Band composition, “The An A Alphabetize This, Punk” will be premiered on May 16, 2013 by Ashton Fletcher’s Powerhouse Big Band. (I will be playing Tenor 2 in the band). Concert information is here.
The Dulaney High School Symphonic Strings just premiered my new work, “Box of Fire Smashers” for string orchestra. Thanks to Barry Chesky and the incredibly talented kids for the hard work they put into creating such an exciting rendition of this challenging piece. Anyone who says string players have no rhythm has clearly never been to a Dulaney HS concert. I’ll put up a recording of the performance soon.
(On a side note, their jazz band also premiered chart by my composition student Matt Rafferty, “My New Haircut,” which brought down the house).
I recently wrote an arrangement for the incomparable violinist Hilary Hahn, who may be using it as an encore piece at some point during her current European tour. If you happen to be in Scotland, Germany, Iceland, or England this month, be sure to attend her concert and let me know how it goes. The arrangement is a tribute to the late, great Etta James and her iconic song “At Last,” arranged for Ms. Hahn, accompanied by string quintet.
The great Brass Quintet Brass Initiative has selected by work, “Schmlud’s Last Ride” for inclusion on their upcoming album, to be released later this year — I will post more details as they come up. In the meantime, please check out their first album, Luteous.
My orchestral work, Monolith Rising, has been selected for the Grand Prize by Ravel Virtual Studios. They did an absolutely brilliant job of crafting an exciting and lifelike performance — hear for yourself on my concert music page.
Tim Conner (principal trombonist for the former Florida Philharmonic) will be performing my work “Prayer and Shenanigan” in a recital entitled…. Prayers and Shenanigans… at the Frost School of Music (U. of Miami).
If you’re in Florida, please stop in and let me know how it goes. If not, you can view the recital live online at this site.
Sunday, September 18th, 7pm, Victor E. Clarke Recital Hall, University of Miami.
Program information is here.