Cabrillo Festival

So, I decided to complete my submission for the cabrillo festival this year BUT... came to a screeching halt when I attempted to reorchestrate one of my many works for orchestra. The piece that I tried (the third movement from my Symphony) sounded horrid every attempt I made to reorchestrate it. So, the solution is to spend all night composing a new work for the festival. My start isn't bad actually - I'm about 100 measures in so far. I kind of like the idea! Hope it goes well! I post a new blog post once I get the piece submitted.

New Project

So, I decided to enter the Cabrillo Festival this year. It's headed up by Marin Alsop - a conductor that I've held as a role model to some degree since I first saw her conduct the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra a few years ago. The piece I'm composed is a special project just for the festival. My inspiration for this work comes from visiting local cemeteries here in Illinois: Campground Cemetery (Coles County), Wright Cemetery (Shelby County), and Greenhill Cemetery (Moultrie County). The history in the region dates back to about the 1820s, when the settlers first settled the counties listed above. Some of the grave markers are from that very early part of the local history - and is fascinating to me as a composer. So, what I've done.. is the first section is a look at Campground Cemetery. This cemetery used to be a meeting place for the religious circuit preachers and pastors of the early to mid 19th century. So, I researched and found a very old version of Amazing Grace that dates to that period and set it in a fugato. The counterpoint and harmonization are all mine... but the theme itself is the original theme - and yes, it is public domain (I did include that I used it in my program notes). I'm very eager and hope this gets selected for the Cabrillo.