New music!

I am eagerly awaiting the debut of “Fanfare for Years to Come” tonight by good friend Dr. Joseph M. Pisano and the Grove City College Wind Ensemble. I wrote the work for Joe and the students in the Grove City College Band as part of my appearance there this weekend on their annual Parents Weekend Concert. The fanfare uses the college hymn as source material (“O God Our Help in Ages Past”). Their rehearsal of the work yesterday was wonderful! I will be conducting three works on the program this evening at 7:30 p.m. including Festival and Ballade for Winds, A Frontier Fought and A City Found, and Monster of Myth. I am looking forward to seeing friends and alumni alike at the concert!

I am also very pleased to share that recordings of two new mid-level works for band are now up on-line at Wingert-Jones and J.W. Pepper. With so many good choices out there for young band, I would take a moment to encourage directors and colleagues alike to consider The Rising Kingdom (an excellent work for contest or festival) or Sugar Plum Samba (a new setting of a holiday classic) for their groups next year.

Finally, I just want to take a minute to tell directors, colleagues, and friends thank you for your continued support and encouragement. I am humbled by the fact many of you deem my music worthy to share with your students, and I hope through the process of studying and performing them it has made your band members stronger musicians and people. If you have performed one of my works at any point during the last year, please take a minute to register your students performance with me!