look back • look forward
Year end, new year. Thoughts and musings backwards and forwards.
Much to be grateful for, much more to come.
Last year was 2021. Similar to the miracle of Hannukah, even though it was only supposed to last one year, it actually lasted eight whole years.
It was also eerily similar to Groundhog Day. Not the holiday, but the movie with Bill Murray. Where no matter what you do, the day keeps repeating. In fact, we may still be in the movie.
Maybe it is actually the Matrix. The glitches that feel like déjà vu, but the day as a whole doesn’t completely repeat.
Onstage at the Hawkins Amphitheater with Laura Jackson and the Reno Phil.
My Music Played
I am grateful to Jonathan Yates and Norwalk Symphony for their May digital performance which included a special arrangement of Promenade, the first movement of my Wedding Album (Watch on Youtube). The Reno Philharmonic with Laura Jackson performed The Harmony Games in October outdoors for an enthusiastic crowd, and recorded it for streaming to classrooms (Watch on YouTube). Both the Grand Rapids Youth Orchestra and the Ashland Symphony Orchestra performed my new orchestrations of Pictures at an Exhibition under my baton. These Pictures are very fun, and it was a joy to work on the orchestration and then bring it to life with enthusiastic musicians.
With the family at Greenwood Paradise Bubble.
Greenwood
In August our whole family went to Greenwood Music Camp where we had a magical two-week experience in a “covid-free-bubble.” What a blast to work with talented, wonderful young musicians (Watch on YouTube) and world-class faculty. Evenings for zilching (aka reading chamber music), days for conducting, coaching, teaching and enjoying the Berkshires air. It did end up raining quite a bit, but the hurricane never hit and our spirits were not dampened.
Music Written
This has been a year not only for extra time with family, practicing, but also writing more music. I have made significant progress on a number of pieces and have ambitious writing goals to achieve by next summer:
The Harmony Games (edit/engrave) – final definitive versions (both for large and small orchestra)
Pictures at Exhibition (edit/engrave) – final edits and engraving
Wedding Album (new) – Write fourth movement (and potentially another interlude), and polish the work
Concerto Grosso (new) – Major work still to do. I wrote a 3-movement concerto during the pandemic, and although I am happy with much of it, it still needs a lot of work. And it will need some champions (double concerto for violin, cello, and strings) once it is closer to finished.
Phoenix Rising (edit) – My master’s thesis needs revisiting and polishing and then it will be in a place where I think it can be considered performable.
Cello concerto (edit) – With the experience of the past several years of writing, I want to revisit my old cello concerto and fix up a lot of the incongruities, structural problems and orchestration.
Solo Etudes (new) – I started writing some solo violin etudes during the pandemic and want to end up with a set of at least 4.
String Quartet or Quintet or Ensemble (new) – I started a string piece based on some earlier material I never fully developed, and I really like this material. I think it will turn into a fantastic string orchestra piece.
Sound (new) – I began a new orchestral work during the pandemic, celebrating the enveloping experience of being surrounded by orchestral warmth. It is only in its infancy and I think it will take several years to fully form. I plan to work on this in little bits over several years and am curious where it will go.
Conducting Restart
For freelance musicians and conductors, the world is still not fully back for many of us. It may not be back for a while. We are still figuring out what to do with fewer performances to go around an already crowded field. We also have a lot of work cut out for us to encourage the audiences to come back in full force!
Together with Mark Kosower onstage at Archer Auditorium
I had a wonderful week as Music Director Finalist with the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in Ohio in October. The performances were exciting, and the music-making was enthusiastic and inspiring. Performing with cellist Mark Kosower was a treat as he dazzled in a Boccherini gem that was unknown to me before Mark suggested it for this program.
at the DSO and beyond
The boys with DSO Music Director Jader Bignamini
My elder son with Leonard Slatkin
I have also returned to cover several weeks with the Detroit Symphony and I have enjoyed reveling in the glorious sound of the DSO at the acoustically incredible Orchestra Hall. Continuing to work with Jader Bignamini and Leonard Slatkin is always a privilege, and meeting and getting to know legendary composers Joe Schwantner and Sam Adler was awesome. My kids are finally old enough to start attending and listening to Masterworks programs.
I have a few more MD search opportunities in 2022 and look forward to exploring music with new orchestras and getting to know more people who love classical music.
The only certain thing for 2022 is uncertainty. This is perhaps no different than it ever was, but we had been operating under the false aura that we were in control of far more than we ever were. Part of being a successful human being is knowing what we can do while also recognizing when we must be patient and let things go. This is so hard (especially the being patient part). We had become more and more accustomed to instant satisfaction and having the world at our fingertips and now our own time is seemingly not something we have any affect over.
I am hopeful that when we figure out whether it is eternally Hannukah, Groundhog Day, or the Matrix, our glitches will be resolved and the next days will be even more beautiful than the last.
Onward to 2022.
He’s a bit of a ham.