Because the focus of my recent website work has been on the recordings of my Messa per Papa Celestino V, I am behind on a number of other announcements. The links in this post will point you in the right direction for each of these five items.
1) A recording from 1982 by tenor Paul Sperry and harpist Nancy Allen has been added to the website. The event was my New York Debut in November 1982, and I am so happy that this beautiful memory has been preserved. Click here for Strands (1982).
2) Are you a musician, dancer, or actor who enjoys wine, lives near a winery, and loves to improvise? If so, please read about The Soul of Wine (2025). My acousmatic music and improvisation directions combine with the poetry of Charles Baudelaire to create a 45-minute celebration of wine.
The work is extremely flexible, and it can be performed by 3 or 4 artists . . . or even several hundred if you have enough space. The premiere performances took place in a magnificent wine cellar in Italy during May 2025, and thanks to some outstanding technical assistance from a photographer/videographer friend in Brooklyn, a damaged video of the premiere was saved. I invite you to click here to read about the work and watch the video. The scores exist in Italian, English, French and German, and the poetry should be delivered in the language where the performance is taking place . . . wherever that might be in the world.
3) On May 17th, there was a festive celebration of the Naumburg Foundation’s 100th Anniversary in New York City, and I felt fortunate to be able to attend. Forty years ago, my chamber music work, All Good Men (1986) was commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation for baritone Christopher Trakas (winner of the Naumburg in 1985), clarinetist Daniel McKelway, hornist David Jolley, and pianist Steven Blier. The premiere took place in Alice Tully Hall on April 8, 1986. Click here to visit the Foundation’s beautiful and informative website. All Good Men can be found in the list of Naumburg Commissions at the following link. I am pleased that the work will be published in the coming months.
4) A comprehensive summary of my inspiring 2024 trip to MittersilI, Austria can be found under Mittersill, Webern, and kofomi #28 – 2024. It was in Mittersill where the great Austrian composer Anton von Webern was shot and killed by an American soldier on September 15, 1945. Founded in 1996 as a a living monument and tribute to Webern, kofomi (KomponistInnenforum Mittersill) is an annual forum dedicated to contemporary and experimental music. It brings together international composers, musicians, and sound artists to collaborate, rehearse, and perform new works in unique local venues. This summary includes photos, videos, programs, and other documentation.
5) Finally, I would like to encourage you to visit LAS Musings. A recent conversation reminded me of an article I wrote in 2014 about the late Brazilian trombonist Radegundis Feitosa Nunes. It is a story that means a great deal to me..