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I recently completed a new quintet for percussion titled “Altered Gates.” It was commissioned by the L.V. Berkner High School Percussion Ensemble (Mike Garcia, director) for their showcase concert at the 2018 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis.
During the summer of 2018, I had the honor of composing some additional music for the Polish family adventure film, Rock’n’Roll Eddie, directed by Tomasz Szafranski. The composer for this film is my friend, Fred Emory Smith, who brought me into a talented music department, including frequent Hans Zimmer orchestrator, Carl Rydlund. The score is reminiscent of thematic, orchestral adventure scores of the 1980’s and was recorded in Prague by the Filmharmonic Orchestra.
The film hits Polish cinemas in January, and may possibly have some screenings in the United States. The soundtrack is now available on all digital platforms.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science, one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States, just re-opened their popular Weiss Energy Hall, currently the most contemporary, comprehensive and technologically advanced exhibition on the science and technology of energy anywhere in the world.
This hall features "Energy City," a 2,500-square-foot 3-D landscape representing Houston, the surrounding Gulf coastal waters, and the terrain of southeast and central Texas. This vibrant "white model" uses bleeding-edge projection mapping technology to bring the city to life while educating viewers on different energy systems and stories.
I've been working on a new piece for percussion orchestra to be premiered by the Vandegrift High School percussion ensemble (Austin, Texas) this December at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago (Joe Hobbs, director). It's titled "Beyond the Clouds" and was inspired by the time I spent in Nepal with a group of friends in 2013. There's still a lot of cleanup to do in the score before it's road-worthy, but here's a peek inside the score as played back via Sibelius + Virtual Drumline.
The official soundtrack album for Filling In is now available via all the major music stores like Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you go to stream/download music. Check it out!
I recently finished work on a new piece for percussion ensemble titled Windows of the Maloca. It was commissioned by Brandon Kunka, director of the Roswell HS percussion ensemble to be premiered at their performance at the GMEA conference in Athens, Georgia in January 2017.
The piece is a tribute to the time I spent in the Amazon jungle in Peru last year which left a lasting mark on my life. While there, I made a recording of some of the atmospheric jungle sounds and wildlife. Listening to it immediately transports me back to that beautiful place.
I wrote this piece amid a very full workload at Tapspace, scoring another short film, and trying to have some sort of balanced regular life. Needless to say, it's been a busy Fall! To read a little more about the piece and hear an early draft VDL mockup recording, go here.
I recently finished work on an adaptation of Stormbreak for symphony orchestra. This piece was originally written for medium-easy percussion ensemble (with optional wind ensemble accompaniment) and it's been a popular piece in the Tapspace catalog.
This new version maintains most of the approach of the original but adds a slightly new twist to the middle section where the snare, toms, and timpani players each take a small solo. It makes use of a lot of col legno from the strings, adding to the percussive nature of the piece.
I created this mock-up recording in Logic Pro X using Virtual Drumline and various string, brass, and woodwind libraries from Cinesamples. Since the piece is primarily a stand-alone percussion ensemble and the orchestra is added to it, it can get a little thick and heavy-handed at times. A lot of music I write ends up this way. The insecure part of me struggles with this. My rational side recognizes that this is just supposed to be a fun, educational piece that hopefully keeps players and audiences engaged.
This version of Stormbreak was commissioned by Nathan Matherne from the Cibola High School Symphony in Albuquerque, NM. It will be performed at their New Mexico State Orchestra competition in April 2016.
Last summer, I completed my first fully fledged concert band piece called Fight or Flight.
Since I’ve never actually delved into a full-on wind ensemble piece, I wanted to wait until it had been successfully performed before saying much about it. It was initially commissioned by Hunter McRae and Mary Wilson from the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic band to be premiered at the GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association) convention in Savannah, GA in January of 2013.
Since then, a few other ensembles have taken a crack at the piece, and I now have a couple live recordings posted, as well as making the score available for purchase right here on my little old website.
I recently completed the music for another project produced by Animated Traffic Law. Commissioned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, this traffic safety video was designed to educate viewers about greenway features, safe cycling routes, and “sharrows.”
The soundtrack is intended to create a dramatic build to accompany the family's bicycle journey. The intro and outro utilize a typewriter as an symbol of the government agency presentation, while the samba infused music it accompanies creates a fun and festive atmosphere.
For more info on my commerical work, go here.
I’ve recently finished my first fully fledged wind ensemble piece, titled Fight or Flight. It was commissioned by the North Gwinnett Middle School Symphonic Band from Sugar Hill, Georgia. It will be performed in January 2013 at the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) Conference in Savannah.
Also, I’ve been asked to reorchestrate Cache 22 - a military drum piece I originally wrote for the Hellcats of the West Point Military Academy. This rearrangement has been adapted for a more conventional drumline instrumentation and will be performed by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville under the direction of Andy Bliss.
