I have heard conductors introduce new works by saying, “You may not like this work, so let me tell you what to pay attention to…” This is a noble effort that starts with a failing proposition. It is within our reach to resolve this problem.
Whenever I ask choral conductors about the lack of the octatonic’s representation in the choral repertoire, I seem to receive many eye-rolls, but no convincing answers beyond its difficulty to sing. What we broadly label as the octatonic has a rich and organic tradition within the Russian instrumental music tradition. It is hard to imagine that there is not already a body of vocal works that at least slip into large sections of “octatonic”. But I’ve yet to meet someone who can point me to such works.
On August 26, 2018, Arizona Philharmonic opened its inaugural season with a concert of my orchestral music. It was an amazing experience and a success by all measures:
- 910 folks attended within an 1100 seat hall;
- both the musicians and the audience overwhelmingly enjoyed the music; and
- AZ Event Video did a bang-up job of recording and producing a video of the concert.
The concert included five of my orchestra works, including two premieres: my piano concert Currents and a new composition Canyon Reflections, inspired by the Grand Canyon National Park’s 100th anniversary and written in honor of Yavapai College’s 50th anniversary.
AZ Event Video’s production of the concert video can be found on YouTube:
I have spent much of my time this past year leading the effort to found Arizona Philharmonic, a new professional regional orchestra based in Prescott, AZ.
My wife Maria and I saw Mason Bates’ new opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs this past weekend at the Santa Fe Opera. The audience went crazy for it, and all future shows are sold out. The opera is innovative, engaging, and fun with a handful of flaws. I give it a Net Positive, and I encourage folks to go see it in future productions.