done...and on to new responsbilities and a breath of fresh air

I finished up Iron Sharpens Iron last Thursday and sent it off to the commissioner the next morning. More news about this piece as it becomes available since one of the contract stipulations was that I have to keep the details of where/when/who a bit of a secret. It was commissioned by some choir members as a surprise for their longtime director so we'll see if it completely crashes and burns. Either way they'll still have to pay, right? (Insert maniacal laugh here.)

It's nice to be (momentarily) done because school is starting back up and it's time to teach some music. I've given myself until September 1 to take a short break before starting in on the next piece for Ankeny High School (near Des Moines, Iowa). Then it's on to finish the Color Madrigals for The Singers: MN Choral Artists. It will be really nice to get that one in the can as well since it's turned into a 6-movement work composed and premiered over a year. But it will be my first "major" work so I'm psyched to have it out there.

After that it will be a nice, long break (unless something comes up...which it always does) where I can start on something I've been meaning to do for a long time.

In other news I just went out and bought:

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City--I love these guys. I learned to use a pick listening to DMB records and have been a fan for a while. And if you've never heard of Tim Reynolds then behold his majesty (too bad this clip cuts out right as he goes into a Zeppelin cover). It's hard to believe I used to be able to play this piece (albeit much slower and not as accurately as him...maybe that means I couldn't play it...hmm). And if it isn't impressive enough he shreds this bastard out on a 12-string.

Sufjan Stevens: Illinois--This guy has said he will write one album for each state of the Union and Michigan is the only other one finished so far. He's a total genius. Listen to this. You won't hear that on Top 40 radio any time soon. It's just too creative. Track 2 takes the cake for the longest title I've ever seen: The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You're Gonna Have To Leave Now, Or, 'I Have Fought The Big Knives And Will Continue To Fight...

A ton of Rufus Wainwright CDs. This guy is amazing. How many songwriters working today count tin pan alley as one of their major influences? I only know one: him. He's a total musical auteur with a completely unique harmonic sense. He's also been commissioned by The Met to write an opera alongside composers like Wynton Marsalis and Michael Torke. So, yeah, he's the real deal.