This semester flew by in a flash of BAND. I had the privilege of leading several ensembles both at home and away, often with special guests. I also finally spread my wings as a composer, returning to something I love after essentially two decades away.
Things got going in earnest on October 1, when the Hartwick College Wind Ensemble presented its VOICES concert at home in the Anderson Theater in Oneonta, NY. We were joined by the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet, which gave us a marvelous opportunity to collaborate and learn something new about music. I wrote a piece for us to play together! The concert included:
New Wade ‘n Water – Adolphus Hailstork
The Erie Canal – Maurice Whitney
Polly Oliver – Thomas Root (with guest conductor John Hart)
Eternity in an Hour – Nicole Piunno
Pititi’s Lament – Andrew Pease (world premiere)
Toro Mata – Traditional Peruvian, featuring the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet
The last two pieces segued together in spectacular fashion (though I may be biased as the composer of the first and part-arranger of the second). See for yourselves:
On October 26, we welcomed 58 local high school students to the Hartwick campus for our 8th annual Honor Band, with guest conductor Jason Noble. They played:
Radiant Moonbeams – David Gillingham
Rhythm Stand – Jennifer Higdon (I conducted this one)
And the grass sings in the meadows – Travis Cross
November began a stretch of SIX* concerts in a two week span, all under different circumstances. On November 9, I led the Oneonta Community Concert Band in its Veterans Day concert. We played to an appreciative crowd at Oneonta’s First United Methodist Church:
The Star Spangled Banner – Francis Scott Key, arr. Robert Russell Bennett
Military Escort – Harold Bennett
Courage for Winds – Adrienne Albert
Irish Tune from County Derry – Percy Grainger
The Gallant Seventh – John Philip Sousa
Selections from “Les Miserables” – Claude-Michel Schönberg
Army of the Nile – Kenneth Alford
With Valor and Brave Heart – William Owens
Armed Forces Salute – Various, arr. Bob Lowden
God Bless America – Irving Berlin
November 12 saw a Hartwick Brass Ensemble performance, featuring music by Tomasi, Debussy, and Duda, in which I played trumpet as part of this student chamber group.
On November 16, I was honored to appear as the guest conductor on the Juventas New Music Ensemble‘s 20th anniversary concert in Cambridge, MA. I led Oliver Caplan‘s The Emerald Necklace, as well as two world premieres: Rebirth of the Sun by Ayumi Okada and Stone and Steel by Cole Reyes. This was my third time working with Juventas, and as always I was impressed by their artistry, professionalism, and collegiality. I can’t wait to work with them again!
I sped back to Oneonta for the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble concert on Sunday, November 17 at the Foothills Center, featuring three conductors and another world premiere of my music!
I conducted:
Songs of Childhood – Andrew Pease (world premiere)
Variants on a Medieval Tune – Norman Dello Joio
Daniel Reynolds conducted:
Midnight on Main Street – Brian Balmages
Amy Hoxie conducted:
Symphony no. 3 – Vittorio Giannini
(and she led us in an encore of Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever)
I was THRILLED with how my piece came out, and I can’t wait for more people to play it! All my music is available here.
The Hartwick Wind Ensemble wrapped its semester with its RESONANCES concert on November 21, featuring my colleague Fideliz Sta. Brigida on organ throughout the concert.
Celebration Fanfare – Satoshi Yagisawa
Chasing Sunlight – Cait Nishimura
Mars from The Planets – Gustav Holst
This almost didn’t happen due to an impending snow storm, but we made it through and even had a healthy audience.
*Alas, my final scheduled appearance this year was not so lucky. I was slated to conduct the NYSSMA Zone 8 Area All State band in Walton, NY on November 22 and 23. But as I write this right now, around 11:30am on November 23, Walton is struggling to recover from the wet, gloppy snow that knocked out power for much of the town. The festival was cancelled, and these kids and I will not have a chance to be together. They were going to play the following:
Some treasures are heavy with human tears – John Mackey
Shepherd’s Hey – Percy Grainger
There still remains the NYSSMA Winter conference and the Midwest Clinic in December. Then I am on sabbatical for Spring 2025! I will miss my students TERRIBLY, but I am looking forward to some dedicated resting and thinking time.