tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-118738252008-05-01T13:48:53.050-04:00SteveBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-59916437222604122652008-05-01T13:35:00.004-04:002008-05-01T13:48:53.225-04:00

Last night's concert by the Jerry Junkin and the UT Wind Ensemble was intense. This was the final concert of John Adams' residency at UT, and the group opened with his Short Ride in a Fast Machine (which I know well, but had never heard live), and followed up with his Grand Pianola music, both of which were really, really good. Junkin maintained an unbelievably intense pace and conducting style

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-55489891230817673232008-04-29T15:03:00.004-04:002008-04-29T15:32:58.640-04:00

Bob Reynolds and the Baylor Wind Ensemble gave a really fine performance of the piece last night. There were a few odd moments in the opening of the piece (there usually are - the vast silent spaces and exposed single notes seem to make the players nervous, unfortunately), and the elderly audience member's mechanized breathing machine added an interesting element to the work (it wasn't really

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-46431137076574256652008-04-28T15:44:00.003-04:002008-04-28T16:01:25.841-04:00

Verena and the UT Symphony Band gave a truly stellar performance of Bloom yesterday. In fact, the entire concert was superb - Damon Talley, the director of that group, has done a fantastic job with them this year. Tonight, V and I head up to Baylor to hear Bob Reynolds guest conduct Alchemy in Silent Spaces: I the logic of all my dreams.. He's already done it with USC, and has it programmed

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-82732300041766588642008-04-18T10:38:00.004-04:002008-04-18T10:58:30.143-04:00

I arrived in Fort Wayne, IN yesterday for my residency at IUPFW (late, courtesy of American Airlines), and was welcomed early this morning by an earthquake. I've been to LA several times, San Francisco, Seattle, even Japan, but have never felt an earthquake until I come to Indiana. It was a bizarre, gentle, rocking - of EVERYTHING. I woke up enough to just watch in amazement as the bed swayed,

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-63436978048004235812008-04-08T14:03:00.003-04:002008-04-08T14:23:58.747-04:00

Just got word that two CDs will be released shortly: American Tapestry (Naxos). This is the debut release of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Corporon, performing my work Radiant Joy. Release date April 29th, 2008. New Music from Bowling Green, Vol. 5 (Albany Records), featuring the Bowling Green Philharmonia, Emily Freeman Brown, conductor. World premiere recording

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-29522050212126789522008-04-02T13:56:00.005-04:002008-04-02T14:13:30.507-04:00

Last night was the Arkansas Composers Forum concert featuring works by Charles Booker, Reber Clark, Philip Parker, Francis McBeth, and myself. Hal Cooper, director of bands at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville was our host. The band did a great job on all the works, and I was particularly happy with their performance of my First Light. This was only its second performance, and the first

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-49246263087580063742008-03-27T18:09:00.005-04:002008-03-27T19:21:43.881-04:00

I transcribed Dusk for symphony orchestra last weekend, and had the good fortune (thanks to the efforts of Donald Grantham) to have the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra read it yesterday. They did a fantastic job, and I'm happy to announce you can hear it on this page, or at MySpace (same recording in both places). The piece will be distributed by Hal Leonard (but still published by me),

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-49196969122934109342008-03-14T03:47:00.003-04:002008-03-14T04:12:45.629-04:00

Last night I dreamt I heard the new piece I'm writing in its entirety in concert. Except that I was outside the hall. And the piece wasn't finished, so I'd stuck in a transcription of some of Pink Floyd's The Wall in the middle to fill up the unfinished, empty space. Amazingly, no one noticed, though I don't think I can get away with that in real life. Unfortunately, all I can remember from

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-74269116806650982762008-02-25T16:12:00.006-05:002008-02-25T18:52:33.944-05:00

It's 91 degrees here at the moment. In February. I'm trying to avoid turning on the air conditioner, because that seems so decadent and un-Earth-friendly in the middle of WINTER. I'm loving this sunny warm winter, but sure am glad I won't be around for the summer... Random miscellaneous: Dusk scores are sold out at Hal Leonard for the moment, but Shattinger Music has some in stock if you

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-1580739950975003472008-02-23T05:20:00.005-05:002008-02-23T05:59:26.313-05:00

As promised, a few pics from Mackey's visit and TMEA: John Mackey, Harvey Pittel, and AEJ, immediately after the fantastic UT concert with Mackey's Sax Concerto. Read more about it here. This man's circular breathing is indeed spectacular - I never could master that back in my saxamaphone-playin' days. And of course the ensemble was excellent as usual - they also played a well-done new "West

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-48792308913720896992008-02-14T09:27:00.009-05:002008-02-14T10:42:29.187-05:00

V and I are at TMEA for a couple of days this week. Mackey (who was in Austin last weekend for a performance of the Sax Concerto with the UT Austin Wind Ensemble) has a couple of big performances with the All-State bands, and Eric will be giving a clinic on some of his choral music with the Texas Tech choir at 6:30 this evening. Fun times! More later, perhaps with pictures!

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-15930707269611187762008-01-25T16:13:00.000-05:002008-02-06T10:39:23.649-05:00

Finally got around to posting some of the pictures from this past Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Check it out over on the BCM blog, if you're interested! Verena and I put on our Austrian finest while we were there:

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-32597198476240648132008-01-22T08:52:00.000-05:002008-01-22T09:13:47.882-05:00

Back in November, I was at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle with the fine Langley High School wind ensemble, and their director, Andrew Gekoskie. This is the group that commissioned and premered "Dusk" a few years ago, and they gave another fine performance of it at the conference. I never got around to posting pictures from the event because this is also where I dropped my

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-84072789303812778802007-12-20T09:02:00.000-05:002007-12-20T09:11:58.444-05:00

It is my pleasure to announce that Radiant Joy has won the 2007 National Band Association / William D. Revelli Compostion Contest!! The official award ceremony is tonight - have to work up my acceptance speech... ;)

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-26292415072692740522007-12-15T09:55:00.000-05:002007-12-15T10:08:39.044-05:00

Last night, I had the privilege to conduct the Bowie HS WInd Ensemble on my piece, "Dusk." They performed beautifully, especially considering the fact that we only had two rehearsals! It was wonderful to hear their entire concert - they play startlingly well, and I am honored that their director, Bruce Dinkins, invited me to be a part of their final concert of the Fall! The horn section in

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-87652793778089302702007-12-12T15:11:00.000-05:002007-12-12T15:44:15.858-05:00

I now have the recording from the First Light world premiere last weekend, and it's up for your listening pleasure (click "Listen" on the First Light page). It's very quiet at the beginning, so if you don't hear anything, turn your speakers up. Even better, use some good headphones. An updated perusal score is also posted on that page - it much more accurately reflects the changes we made in

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-62708392497275781032007-12-10T12:04:00.000-05:002007-12-10T12:13:43.898-05:00

Bruce Dinkins, director of bands at Bowie HS in Austin, has graciously invited me to conduct Dusk with his Wind Ensemble this Friday night, December 14th. I met the band last Thursday and we sight-read through the piece, and I have to say I was blown away. This band is good - they were making music from my first downbeat. I'll go over the piece again with them this Thursday morning, and that's

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-32641405464888640722007-12-05T00:37:00.000-05:002007-12-05T00:59:17.335-05:00

Returned late Sunday night from snowy Rochester, NY, after a wonderful weekend and fantastic premiere of "First Light" by the New York All-State Symphonic Band. Unfortunatly, I'm still without a computer, so no pictures yet. Ray Cramer led the band in the premiere, and the band really rose to the challenge on all their pieces. They were especially forgiving of the numerous and continuous

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-54756639891230940172007-11-25T00:55:00.000-05:002007-11-25T01:03:52.375-05:00

...because that will likely break it, especially if there's a USB thumb drive in one port, and it lands *on* that drive, and smashes it deep into your computer, causing some...distress... to the innards. All that to say I won't be posting much until my computer returns, which will be another week at least. To everyone in the Langley HS Wind Symphony I met last weekend in Seattle, great concert,

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-24813896267797208902007-11-09T13:59:00.000-05:002007-11-09T14:10:49.413-05:00

I've been exploring software possibilities and trying to sort out what's easily do-able, what's possible but perhaps tricky, and what would be just a downright bad idea when it comes to the technological side of my next work: a consortium commission for a piece I've wanted to create for several years, which combines wind band and electronics to create music that is natural and necessary, not a

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-18928312922103512012007-11-06T20:57:00.000-05:002007-11-06T21:48:35.143-05:00

Commander Donald Schofield has given me permission to post the full recording from the upcoming USAF Band of Mid-America CD release of my Concerto for Wind Ensemble. The CD will be out at Midwest. This piece, as you can see if you take a look at the score, is not on the easy side. It's been awhile since I indulged my RedLine-rhythmic side much lately, until this work. While it isn't as

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-49184997195559508292007-10-27T10:49:00.000-04:002007-10-27T11:17:40.530-04:00

As promised: Salamander Studios' 4th release, (Gettin') Down To The Bone. Go now! Not responsible for causing an uncontrollable desire to eat BBQ. This one's been waiting in the wings for a long time. We recorded it on June 10th, but I promptly left the country for a couple of months, delaying the actual mixing and such...until now: dinner's served! Make sure you have plenty of moist

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-89372989605003988552007-10-17T17:46:00.000-04:002007-10-17T18:01:58.366-04:00

from Salamander Studios: Gettin' Down To Tha Bone. Memphis BBQ Aftermath #3 by Steven Bryant.

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-30993617573850912112007-10-09T14:34:00.000-04:002007-10-09T20:52:06.650-04:00

...is finished. This is the new work for the New York All-State Gigantic Symphonic Band. The horns have plenty of good lines...all 16 of'em. The piece is a sort of companion work to Dusk, in that it depicts the flip-side, dawn. In particular, the dawn I witnessed in Malcesine, Italy, over the summer. See below for more on that. A partial perusal score is posted on the First Light page, if

Stevetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11873825.post-88421797629690477842007-09-07T11:10:00.000-04:002007-09-07T11:17:09.170-04:00

Just a quick note to say I've posted the optional (but strongly recommended!) parts for Suite Dreams, as well as an updated perusal score. You can download them all for free on the Suite Dreams page. I've also created a page for my Concerto for Wind Ensemble, which also includes a perusal score. I don't yet have a recording I can post here, though the USAF Band of Mid-America will be releasing

Steve