What has this composer done over the summer? The better question is, WHAT HAVEN'T I DONE?! Well... I haven't crashed from burnout and exhaustion, surprisingly. I haven't written my dreamlike prog-rock-influenced fanfare for wind ensemble yet [although if that's your thing, contact me and let's make it happen]. Contrastingly, I managed to somehow have an excellent vacation earlier this month with my wife. Lots of beach and sunshine.

There was also seafood. Lots. And LOTS. OF SEAFOOD.

Apart from that, lots of composing and other related projects also getting done too! So, in no particular order, here's a list of things that I've been doing this summer:

It's been a very hectic summer so far in terms of all the work I still have yet to complete. A much longer blog post will be coming in the future about some of the projects I've been working on, but in the meantime, here's a brand-new look at one of the new pieces I've written this year.

It's been a while since I've participated in this one, but I've decided to enter this year's Dallas Winds Brass Fanfare competition! This piece offers a fun and joyous tribute to the thrills of seeking adventure in familiar and/or unknown places. The title is specifically meant to be a direct reference to a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet (and yes... technically.... to a Star Trek film. Though this wasn't intentionally done on purpose or anything).

Check out a video of the score below, and if you like what you hear, purchase information will be coming soon!

The next blog post will feature some background work on a second piece I'm composing this year - a wild and raucous work for saxophone quartet and fixed-media electronics, to be premiered by the Zenith Saxophone Quartet this fall. Stay tuned!