Still basking in the glow of a second performance with ‘The Airborne Toxic Event” on August 23rd with the Pacific Symphony. Presented as part of the symphony’s WaveLength Festival, more information found here. http://www.wavelengthfestival.org. Definitely a pleasure to work with the band again.
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 …
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.
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.
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….
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.
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.
Just recovering from jet lag after a thrilling visit to London with the LA Phil and a group of YOLA kids who joined London musicians for a working rehearsal with Gustavo Dudamel. Great music, amazing YOLA kids on the trip, wonderful hosts from the Barbican, too. An absolute pleasure from start to finish. Full of so many fond memories.
Joining in the yearlong celebration of the centenial of Stravinsky’s masterful ballet, the TC Symphony Orchestra performed a thrilling account last night at the Fox Theater. As I said to the audience before our encore, “They played the snot out of that piece!” Congrats to the whole orchestra.
What a thrill it was to conduct the score to “Psycho” with the Tulare County Symphony as the full film played to a packed audience at the Visalia Fox Theater. Great music, great orchestra, great audience and a wonderful time had by all. Check it out here.