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Recent Posts

It’s been a minute!

Well, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted to my website! Many things have happened! First Covid! Then, my wife and I decided to retire from teaching! The other kind of interesting feature of this interlude is that I became very interested in 3D artwork! Who knew? This was a direct result of Covid. As all of us were shut in, music people needed ways to allow their ensembles to perform. Many “virtual ensembles” appeared on various websites. My first ventures into this arena created “Zoom-like” presentations where all the performers were little blocks on the screen. I then noticed some of Eric Whitacre’s virtual choirs, and I thought it would be great to do some 3D virtual ensembles. That led me to find the free program, Blender, and, well, I just loved working in this idiom! I’ll probably eventually add a 3D page to this site, but for now I’ll post my “magnum opus” as far as 3D is concerned.

After learning the basics of 3D modeling, I decided it would be nice to allow the ensembles to “perform” in their own space, as it were. So, I started re-creating the auditorium at the high school. Then, later, I created the interior of First Presbyterian Church, in Spartanburg, in order to allow the choir to “sing” in their own Sanctuary. That’s probably my magnum opus in the 3D realm at the moment. I taped the director in front of a greenscreen both facing the camera and turned away from the camera. He was “conducting” a tape of the organ. Then, we had the singers and instrumentalists perform their individual parts with earphones on while listening to the organ part. Anyway, here is the video:

Posted in: News

Spring – and Autumn

We are on our final weekend of Spring Break.  During the week we marked the year anniversary of dad’s passing.  I also received a wonderful recording of my piece, “Six Songs of Spring”.  Since it IS Spring, I’m going to make that my “featured” piece on the site – but, I’m also going to have my orchestra piece, “Falling Leaves” as the “next up” piece.  I wrote “Falling Leaves” last autumn – literally while the leaves were falling off the trees in beautiful colors.  It was a definite homage to dad.  So, my page will juxtapose the beauty in the “autumn” phase of our lives versus the beauty in the “spring” phase – the time of rebirth!

Posted in: News

Performances and Summer Plans

I’m so pleased with Dorea Cook’s performance of “Six Songs of Spring”.  March and I went to Valdosta State for the premiere on February 7th.  Dorea and her accompanist, Josh Pifer, performed with such sensitivity to the text and to the musical ideas presented in the cycle.  I’m looking forward to receiving the recording!  On a different note, I recently was accepted to the “Space City New Music Festival” in Houston, Texas this summer.  I will be writing a piece for Flute, Clarinet and Cello to be performed there, and I will be able to visit my friends Sharon and Richard Fink, who I haven’t seen for a while.  I also realized that one of my friends from Boston University will be teaching at the Festival – Shih-Hui Chen.  So, it should be a fun week in Houston this July!

Posted in: News

Featured Work

Six Songs of Spring (2016)

Duration: 14'

Mezzo Soprano and Piano

Falling Leaves (2018)

Duration: 9'

2 Fl, 2 Ob., 2 Cl., 2 Bn., 4 Hn. 3 Tpt. in C., 3 Tbn., Tba., Timp., 1 Per., Hp., Strings