4 Things I Learned From Performing Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast at Carnegie Hall in NYC

1. Making music with friends, students, and colleagues was, is, and will always be the thing that most deeply nourishes my soul.

2. There is still so much work to do to bring the music of underrepresented and marginalized composers into our collective consciousness. I’m not alone in this work, and I’m not the only one who can stand in front.

3. I discovered some new limits and boundaries for myself. Managing the tour logistics for multiple separate ensembles, while preparing and conducting a major work is not something I would do again or recommend. And while I ultimately enjoyed myself, it turns out I can only stand New York for a few days at a time.

4. Bottom line: it was totally worth it!! I couldn’t be more proud of our work. My life and the lives of our singers and instrumentalists are forever changed for the better thanks to this monumental experience. I’m certain that our friends Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Jane Schoolcraft, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are having a beer together, smoking pipes, and smiling down on us from heaven.

Back Home

I’m creating spaces that inspire me and fill me with great memories and good vibes. My office where I teach is essentially the size of a closet. It can be a suffocating little space. But creating a little art wall inside has turned this tiny hole into a little sanctuary of delight. It’s a work in progress, but I love the direction in which it’s headed. I’d love to add a few more small artworks to the wall above my desk.

*Felted landscape by my dear friend Debra Penberthy*

*Three paintings by my conducting teacher, Paul A. Smith*

*Painting by Alberto Scarabattoli, purchased from his studio while on tour in Assisi, Italy*

Singing

I like listening to this little demo I made not too long ago:

Listen here

I’m looking forward to more session work this summer. And I’m learning some new solo repertoire to perform in church next season!

Conducting

In May at Neighborhood Church, I’m conducting my setting of “Sanctus,” Bobby McFerrin’s “23rd Psalm,” and John Kimball’s “A Quiet Stream.”

Conducting my own music has always been a challenge for me. I find that even though I know my stuff by heart, the conducting gesture doesn’t come automatically or easily. So I’m practicing conducting some of my larger works in anticipation of performing them with the California Coleridge-Taylor Singers this summer. Stay tuned!

Composing

My piece “Veni Sancte Spiritus” is being performed by more than 600 young singers from across Southern California at the LAMC High School Choral Festival on Friday, April 28 at Walt Disney Concert Hall.