We never know where a piece is going to go when we begin its journey – and it’s always we. Sure, the composer writes it, but the commissioning path includes organizations, performers, venues, sometimes festivals or events; and yes, the composer too. Kayla Solomon and Danielle Guina, the performers of “The Stars of November” have been an inseparable part of the process. The piece was … Continue reading “The Stars of November” at ITG2023!
Hey team, I don’t want to bite into our summer too much, but if you’re thinking about some new rep for the 2022/23 year, I just wanted to share what’s coming around the bend. Concert Band My three-movement work, Transcendent Light, was published this past June by Eighth Note Publications in Canada and distributed by Alfred in the US. I’m really, really proud of this … Continue reading New Music for the 2022/23 Year
Back in Summer of 2015, I was asked by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra if I could do an arrangement of a pop song for a divisional choir and the orchestra. Every other year, the River East Transcona School Division hires out the orchestra to play with their choir. This was an enormous opportunity, so of course I said yes, then got it done on time … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Quest for Beer at the Orchestra
I have a confession to make: Despite being into games for my entire life, I have never beaten the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I know. How can you trust anything video-game-related that I have to say? I haven’t even been through the core literature of our genre! It’s like loving science fiction without having seen Star Wars, or liking fantasy without having seen/read Lord of … Continue reading Music Ed M… Tuesday: I BEAT THE FOREST TEMPLE (AND YOU CAN TOO!)
Holy noodle, what a week! I’ve got quite a bit done this week, which is my very first week of my very first (and potentially only) sabbatical. I didn’t always think of it that way, though. My first few days were quite frustrating with the feeling that I didn’t get enough done. I put in between 4-5 hours per day because there were things coming … Continue reading Sabbatical Week 1 Roundup!
Tomorrow is the first day of school. I can’t remember a time where the September Long Weekend didn’t mean “it’s time to get ready for school.” As a kid, that meant schedules, timetables, and school supplies. As a young adult, that meant paying tuition and buying textbooks. As a grown-up (whatever that even means), that meant prepping the classroom and getting ready to head back … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The First Day
When I was in third year university, a flautist and fellow student named Jessica was killed in a car accident. I remember that winter being very traumatic at school, but one moment was particularly so. While I wasn’t in the U of M Symphony Orchestra, my friends who were told me that the next rehearsal was cancelled, but practice would resume on its next regular … Continue reading Music Ed Monday (Tuesday) – Kindness Matters
Happy Easter! The day is here! Prairie Wedding is published and available for purchase! You can find it at the Daehn Publications website! (or your favourite local music dealer!) It feels like so long ago that I submitted it for the 2012 CBA Composition Competition and here we are, halfway through 2014 and it’s finally in print. I don’t mean that in a critical way … Continue reading Prairie Wedding is Available!
When I walked into Complex Games that fateful Spring day of 2013, I saw 3D models of, what looked like, the nephews from DuckTales, but immediately put it aside. I had a meeting with Noah Decter-Jackson (the CEO of the studio) because he wanted to talk to me about an upcoming project. “… No…” I thought to myself in disbelief. “I must be mistaken.” I … Continue reading Music Ed Monday – The Big Leagues
This past month, something that I always felt inside was confirmed: The world is craving emotional classical music about our place in the natural universe. We Are Stars is getting published, Filum Vitae is in submission (but has generally been well-received) and, perhaps most surprisingly, Cosmos has been shared by prominent astronomers, is being featured by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (Vancouver) and has … Continue reading Its song, so sweet, compels me…
