Last weekend I received word that I have been accepted for Fall 2009 admission in the USC Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television Certificate Program. It is the most coveted and well-known program of its kind. Located in the heart of the film industry, it is taught by and connected with working professionals. This means I will be relocating to the west coast and taking the plunge. How very exciting!!!
Posted on 04/01/09
On Saturday, April 4, the Saint Michael’s College Chorale will be premiering a new work written just for them called Septalleluia, for chorus and piano. The performance is at 4pm in the McCarthy Arts Center at St. Michael’s College. It is free, open to the public, no tickets required. I will be attending the performance and would love to get a good crowd in to support the chorale and hear the new piece. Hope to see you there!
Posted on 03/20/09
The fabulous Janus Trio will be taking Gwinna with them to Aspen, Colorado as they participate in an educational outreach program in collaboration with the Aspen Music Festival and School. From February 22 - 28 the trio will be presenting Gwinna to various schools in Aspen. Not only will they perform the piece for the children, they will share the story and demonstrate how the music brings it to life. I can’t think of a more appropriate venue for the piece, not to mention a better group of musicians to present it. Check back for news and reactions on this project.
Posted on 02/16/09
I am honored to be one of 25 composers selected for showcase at the 2009 ASCAP/Columbia University Film Scoring Workshop. Four graduate filmmakers at Columbia will each choose one composer from the 25 to collaborate with on a semester-long walkthrough of the scoring process from start to finish. The course will culminate in a recording session with a 15-piece professional ensemble at Legacy Studios in NYC. Needless to say I am thrilled to be on board and look forward to whatever collaborations may arise from it.
Posted on 02/04/09
I just realized that it has been over two months now since my last post. Oh the shame! But, there is a very good reason for this: I have nothing new to report! Life has a funny way of exploding in your face when you least expect it. BUT, rest assured there are lots of good things in the works. I am currently finishing up a new piece for SATB Chorus & Piano that will be performed by the St. Michael’s College Chorale (and hopefully others) in the spring. I have also begun work on a trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano for the Vermont-based Heliand Trio that will be finished by the end of January so that the group can (hopefully) take it on their tour. So rest assured, loyal viewers, that good things are happening and you will certainly be the first to know if and when anything new should arise!
Merry Christmas to all!!
Posted on 12/10/08
I am thrilled to announce that a recording of the premiere of my newest piece, Gwinna, is now on the listen page. The performance took place on Sept 19th in the LeFrak Concert hall at Queens College.
Gwinna was a collaboration with harpist Emily John, who, along with flutist Jenn Forese and violist Sophia D’addio, delivered two incredible performances in New York City in September. I am no less than ecstatic with the outcome of this project and hope you all will enjoy listening.
On the page you will see a link to “The Story of Gwinna”, which gives some notes on the collaboration/compositiona
Posted on 10/01/08
I am happy to announce the premeire of my piece for flute, viola, and harp entitled Gwinna, commissioned and to be performed by harpist Emily John. The piece will be the featured work on a rectial program that will be given twice in New York City in September. Both performances are free and open to the public. Details are as follows:
Modern Works for Harp
Emily John, Harp
Jenn Forese, Flute ~ Sophia D’Addio, Viola
Friday, Sept. 18, 7pm
Queens College, LeFrak Concert Hall
For directions, visit: http://www.qc.edu/directions
Sunday, Sep. 28, 7:30pm
Ann Goodman Recital Hall, Kaufman Center
129 w. 67th St, Manhattan
Posted on 09/05/08
Hello everyone. So I have indeed returned from Aspen with a whole new set of skills under my belt and a fresh batch of friends and connections that will last a lifetime. I have posted the clips I did while at Aspen on youtube. You can find them on my youtube profile page. Per the suggestion of our Aspen guru, Jack Smalley, I made some changes to my film music page. I will no longer be embedding movies onto the page, but rather have posted excerpts of my music so that any visiting filmmakers can envision their own work with mine. I have also added more samples to the Engraving page (score done in Aspen).
This fall is going to be very busy. I am in the midst of writing a trio for flute, viola, and harp that will be premiered on a recital in September by my dear harpist friend Emily. I am simultaneously writing an Alleluia for the St. Michael’s College Chorale, which will hopefully be done by the end of August and premiered with the group sometime in the spring. I am also going to be writing an orchestral work to submit to the Jacob Druckman Prize, a competition open to alumni of the Aspen Music Festival, which is due at the end of September. Wish me luck!
Posted on 07/20/08
Greetings, loyal viewers! I leave for Aspen on Wednesday, June 11th. I’ll be keeping an internet blog of all my adventures, which you can view here: Dave Does Aspen! Comments are of course welcome. Thanks for your support!
Posted on 06/10/08
I just today received word that I have been accepted into the Film Scoring Program at the Aspen Music Festival. Holy crap!!! Aspen is a world renown summer festival for instrumentalists and composers. The film scoring program lasts for five weeks and only accepts 5-6 people per year. Suffice it to say I am honored, thrilled, and freaking out!!!
Posted on 03/10/08