This has been a very busy writing time here in Normal, Illinois. Several commissions have kept me occupied with lots of joyful music creation, and I am so incredibly grateful to those who have asked me to write music for their ensembles! Recently completed commissions include:

River of Grass - South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Dan Bassett, Conductor

Cherished - Jim Hill, Monroe, NC

Pacific Crest - Northwest Bandmasters Association

Sentinel - Jupiter High School Band, Jupiter, Florida, Ryan Ross, Director

Like a River - Pontiac Municipal Band, Scot Schickel, Director

Trip the Light Fantastic! - Tipton High School Band
Tipton, Indiana, Matthew Skiba, Director

The Lakes - New Horizons Band of the Lakes Region, Belmont, New Hampshire
Debbi Gibson, Director

Laude! - DeMatha Catholic High School Instrumental Music Program, Hyattsville, Maryland
Carlos Castrillon, Director

The Trace - Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu (Mississippi)

A Hollingsworth Celebration - Hollingsworth Winds of Polk County, Ivan Wansley, Artistic Director/Conductor, Lakeland, FL

I have been extremely fortunate to have had many pieces designated as a JW Pepper "Editor's Choice" over the years, But this year is special because of the ten pieces I had released for publication this year, ALL TEN were listed as Editor's Choice. 

These are my new publications (the title is the link to the catalog page):

ALFRED MUSIC 

- The Celts of County Clare (commissioned by Dennis Naughton) 

- Carry on With Pride (commissioned by Lance Rauh) 

- Tirade 

- Sussex Carol

- Union Hymn Variants (Commissioned by Dean Cassels)

MAKE MUSIC PUBLICATIONS

 - Sixty-Six (commissioned by Tom Poshak)

 - A Centennial Celebration (commissioned by Brad Thew)

EXCELSIA MUSIC 

- Golden Panther March (commissioned by Tina Laferriere) 

- Dances of Serenity (commissioned by Tom Guyton)

RANDALL STANDRIDGE MUSIC 

- Freefall (commissioned by Ray Forlenza)

My sincerest thanks to all of these wonderful band directors for asking me to write for their bands.  It was not only an honor and a privilege, but it was also GREAT FUN!  I truly appreciate their support in allowing me to continue to create music.  I am so thankful to all of them!

Upcoming commissions include:

Wheaton Municipal Band, Bruce Moss, Conductor, Wheaton, IL

St. Clair High School Band, Tim Karth, Director, St. Clair, MO

Webber Academy Band Program, Kevin Willms and Jeff Bryant, Directors, Calgary, Alberta

The Fogelberg Foundation, Eric Mills, President, Peoria, IL

Allegheny Valley Band Association, Pittsburgh, PA

Nashoba Symphonic Band, Bolton, MA

Cincinnati Wind Band, Jim Daughters, Conductor, Cincinnati, OH - to be premiered in Carnegie Hall, New York City

Northwest North Carolina Bandmasters Association, Winston-Salem, NC

Hillcrest Wind Ensemble, Christian Tordahl, Artistic Director, San Diego, CA

Western Wisconsin Music Conference High School Honor Band, Westby, WI

All-Japan Band Association, Tokyo, Japan

Birmingham Concert Band, Patrick Jensen Conductor, Birmingham, MI

Another project for which I was so proud to be a participant was the American Bandmasters Association "Reflections" Project. Several of the ABA composers have contributed a musical underlay that accompanies a wonderful narration which can be read over the music, or played from a recording, available by a number of speakers in several languages. This brief piece is meant to provide an inspiring message of unity and peace prior to the performance of our national anthem, or another piece such as Amazing Grace or America the Beautiful at the beginning of a concert program. These pieces are made available free of charge for download on the ABA website for all bands worldwide, and will be available at all grade levels. You can find all of the Reflections Pieces HERE. You can hear my offering by searching the title, One World, Many Voices which was recorded recently by the United States Air Force Band.

And finally... During some of my clinic appearances discussing unique ways to engage your students and community, I have told the story about my "Birthday Band" I formed with some talented and enthusiastic senior band members during my teaching career. They would run out to surprise faculty members at unexpected times on their birthdays to play a quirky arrangement of Happy Birthday to You that also included snippets of the William Tell Overture, Hallelujah Chorus, Ode to Joy and Stars and Stripes Forever. Inevitably I would be asked if I still had the arrangement and if they could get a copy for their own band to play, but unfortunately, I did not keep a copy of that when I left that school 20+ years ago. HOWEVER, due to numerous requests, I have resurrected this bit of musical insanity and scored it for flexible instrumentation, playable by nearly any combination of winds, strings and percussion, and it is now available on my website entitled, Birthday Band-O-Rama.