I’m pleased to say that the CD of my piano recording, In Remembrance Of Me, is soon to be released, after quite a long wait. Details on the piano book can be seen here. The ten hymns are all thoughtful and reflective, and the reception to the recording has been very positive from those who have heard it. The audio files can currently be downloaded, but there are lots of people who have asked for the CD version…. I’ll post here when it’s available.
Had a great time in Michigan the past couple days, and enjoyed presenting a packet of my pieces. Glad to be home now, and hoping to really get going on this Te Deum project!
My friend Jim Watson and I will be presenting a reading session of 12-13 of my pieces, later this week at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, MI. I’m looking forward to seeing Jim again (we go a ways back!), and to presenting this music to attendees at the convention.
If you’re really ambitious, you can search through the list of interest sessions to find ours by clicking here… (If you want a hint, ours is Friday at 3:00) 
More soon!
I try to keep this blog very professional and focused…but please indulge me for this personal and unprofessional post. I have two things I’m very thankful for, today:
1. My new Mac Mini with Core 2 Duo processsor and newly installed RAM upgrade (2 GB). My workflow has never been this fast, and I’m loving it!
2. The Day I’ve Longed For Is Finally Almost Here! Click here.
I’m frequently asked, how many “songs” do you write a year? The answer is always more complicated than people expect, and I often end up re-defining what they mean by “songs”. As a sample, though, here’s what I wrote in 2008, in fairly chronological order:
Of course, this doesn’t include any editing of previous year’s pieces for publishers, performances, contests, etc- of which there was a considerable amount. It also doesn’t include proofing and working with editors on forthcoming publications.
As you can see, a year’s output is dependent on whether there are large projects going on or not. In Paradisum took up a few months of 2008, because of its length and the size of the performing ensemble; I probably would have written a few more anthems if I hadn’t been writing that. On the other hand, I write in many genres, and I like bouncing back and forth between them- when I get tired of writing difficult concert music, I enjoy writing an easier choral anthem, for example.
2009 is off to a similar start to 2008- i.e. writing a large concert piece. This year, it’s my first Te Deum, for medium orchestra and chorus. It’s only in the concept stages right now, though…
Anyway- now I have a public post that I can refer people to, when I’m asked what I write in a year.
