Great Pops in the Park with TCSO

In what’s become one of the central valley’s best ways to celebrate the end of summer, the orchestra enjoyed their annual “Pops in the Park” program in Tulare’s Zumwalt Park. Great crowd and great weather for a really fun evening of great music. Great conducting by more than 20 young people as they each took their turn on the podium!

Joining the conducting staff of the Pasadena Symphony

I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve just been appointed the assistant conductor of the Pasadena Symphony and the Music Director of their advanced high school orchestra, the Pasadena Young Musicians Orchestra (PYMO). Can’t wait to get started with these two groups and thrilled to be joining such a fantastic conducting staff including David Lockington, Nicolas McGegan, and Michael Feinstein. The youth orchestras, too, enjoy a history of more than 50 years of great musical performances and a distinguished group of past and current conducting staff. I’m exhilirated to be able to …

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Great concert with The Airborne Toxic Event

What a fun night! Sold out concert with TATE at the Fox on Saturday. One of the most exciting concerts TCSO has enjoyed in a long time. Great music, a pleasure to work with the band. And we helped welcome home Kingsburg local and TATE drummer Daren Taylor. Thanks to all for coming and enjoying the show.

TCSO and the Valley Singer Challenge

Fun night of a huge variety of pop music as TCSO hosted the Valley Singer Challenge. Great singers from throughout the Valley Competed for the $1000 prize. With music of Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Christina Perri, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder, Adele and a host of others, the audience (much bigger than last year’s) was treated to one of the funnest concerts of the season. Congrats to the Semi-finalists, finalists and this year’s winner, Abby Sherrill.Great job to all.

YOLA Neighborhood Project packs the Cathedral with musicians, friends, and family.

We’ve had some big YNPs in the past, but the LA Phil team outdid themselves this year, by putting on a stunning performance featuring an orchestra of nearly 300 and a choir of 1200 (that it not a typo…seriously 1200 singers). Conducting 1500 was an unbelievable thrill and the families of our performers were glowing with pride. Hmmm…Mahler 8 doesn’t seem so intimidating anymore, after all…that’s just for 1000 musicians….

Season Finale w/TCSO

Closed the season in Visalia last night with a very exciting performance of Mahler 1. Can’t tell you how excited I was to have so many audience members come away moved and overwhelmed by Mahler. Great night and the orchestra played passionately and powerfully. The antiphonal brass choir helped bring the season and the symphony to a raucous conclusion!  (who’s idea was that anyway?—oh yeah, it was mine—one of my best!). Congrats to the whole orchestra.

YOLA at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Still basking in the glow of all the wonderful playing of hundreds of the YOLA kids at WDCH yesterday. From our youngest orchestra playing “Apollo Suite” with additional winds/brass/percussion to our oldest playing selections from “Firebird,” it was an absolutely thrilling concert top to bottom. Special congrats to the HOLA winds, who played so great in my new arrangement of “Light Cavalry Overture” for orchestral winds. Bravo to all.