27th Season Opener The Portland Wind Symphony is thrilled to announce the opening of their 27th season! Guest conductor Dr. Daniel Schmidt will lead the ensemble in a rich variety of music, including the Overture to Candide, by Leonard Bernstein;…
A timber wolf howls, and is answered by a soprano saxophone. Another howl, and a singer calls out. A choir joins in, accompanied by drummers, chamber orchestra, and pipe organ, in celebration of the beauty of the earth. Missa Gaia/Earth…
On May 29, my intrepid students and I performed transcribed jazz solos in the Spring recital for an appreciative audience at the Courtyard at Mt Tabor in Portland. During March, April, and some of May, we each listened to a…
Those insinuating riffs that get stuck in your head. Usually people have a negative connotation with musical earworms, but I propose they can be enjoyable if it’s a song you like. And even if it is not a song you…
This time last year, I was on retreat in Washington on the Lewis River. My days were filled with hiking, meditating, and writing music. It was a sweet 4 days of time alone in nature, away from my daily workaday…
Contentment is the new work for wind ensemble by myself and Kelly Dugger. It will have its world premiere on March 29 in Las Vegas. I’m flying down for the performance and a visit with my sister and her family.…