April 24, 2019: More trumpet news! I'll be performing with the New Brass Quintet at Friendship Heights Visitors Center on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 1. I've sat in with them a few times, but this will be my first full performance. Looking forward to an engaging program ranging from "Baroque to Jazz." It's a free show, so come on out for brass music on a lovely spring afternoon.
April 21, 2019: I was very glad to return to St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, VA for another pair of Easter services. Many thanks to Larry Vote for having me back, and to Pat Howell for being a great musical partner on two settings from Copland's Old American Songs.
April 6, 2019: What a fun afternoon with District New Music Coalition and Balance Campaign. Our first ensemble-in-residence concert of the season at Colony Club was a great success. Terrific local compositions and great socializing over coffee and cocktails. Keep an eye on DNMC's website for more details on the second concert of the series, May 17 at 7:30 pm!
January 25, 2019: Excited to learn that Jeff Work, principal trumpet of the Oregon Symphony, performed Evening on the Town last night at the Town Club of Portland, OR! I was so pleased to get to hear Jeff play this piece at the 2016 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Anaheim and even more excited that he continues to enjoy it. Thanks, Jeff!
October 28, 2018: I was very honored to perform with the New Brass Quintet today at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Bethesda during the memorial service for the son of one of the quintet's members. I had sat in with the group a few times last Fall and always enjoy making music with them.
September 22, 2018: I guess it's time to (literally) dust off my Renaissance footwear and wash my glass-bottomed drinking mug (and memorize some fanfares) — I'm excited to be performing at the Maryland Renaissance Festival on Saturday, September 29! Looking forward to seeing old friends on cast and enjoying what's certain to be a gorgeous Fall weekend. Stop by and say "Hail and well met" to me if you're there!
September 17, 2018: What a tremendous weekend! New Music DC was an overwhelming success, with lots of positive feedback from the many musicians and contemporary-music lovers who attended. Thanks so much to my District New Music Coalition colleagues and to everyone who supported the event! We're hoping New Music DC becomes an annual affair.
September 5, 2018: I had a great time talking with my DNMC colleagues Michael Oberhauser and Ceylon Mitchell, and with Coda radio host Matt Testa, on Takoma Radio as we previewed our upcoming New Music DC conference. Couldn't tune in? Hear the archived show for two more weeks online! And be sure to save our conference dates, Sept. 15 & 16, on your calendar!
August 31, 2018: I've been sitting on this news for a few weeks but today I can finally share: StageFree Music has just announced its second season of concerts! I'm thrilled that my solo trombone composition, The Troubadour, will be featured on their fifth "Call for Scores" program on May 24, 2019. Listen to StageFree's announcement podcast and read all the details here, and hear a sample of The Troubadour on my "Concert Works" page.
August 20, 2018: After months of hard work and planning from everyone on the District New Music Coalition, I'm excited to report that registration for our first conference, New Music DC, is now open! Join DNMC and your DC-area music colleagues at Georgetown University on Sept. 15 & 16 for concerts, professional development workshops, and fellowship with the contemporary-music community.
May 8, 2018: On Wednesday, April 25, Tiffany Lu and the UMD Repertoire Orchestra gave a marvelous premiere of Trailing Image! Today, I'm pleased to share the full audio of my latest composition. You can hear an audio sample on my Concert Works page and on my Soundcloud!
April 28, 2018: Very proud of all that District New Music Coalition has accomplished this Spring! Don't miss our final Confluences concert on Sunday, April 29 at 2:00 pm, on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia (details here). Thanks to my colleagues for all their hard work over the past nine months to make DNMC a reality, and to all of our friends and supporters who've come out to our concerts and networking events (and don't miss our next New Music Happy Hour on May 14)!
April 17, 2018: I was very gratified to learn by email today that I was a finalist (my first time ever) in the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award competition! This was my last year of eligibility, so even though I didn't win an award, I'm still pretty excited!Congratulations to all the winners! See ASCAP's full announcement here.
April 16, 2018: Just heard Trailing Image in rehearsal for the very first time this afternoon with the UMD Repertoire Orchestra and conductor Tiffany Lu at the University of Maryland. Join me on Wednesday, April 25 at 8 pm for the world premiere!
April 15, 2018: Next week you can hear me play trumpet fanfares — dressed in Elizabethan regalia, no less — during Washington Revels' 35th Anniversary Gala! Support a great DC performing arts organization and enjoy a magical evening. Learn more!
April 10, 2018: Last Fall, I had fun putting up full audio of my recent composition recordings for a month each as a special feature — however, since Rapid Transit is available on Transit Brass's album Soundscapes, I thought I'd jump straight to a sampler this time. You can hear it on my Concert Works page and on my Soundcloud. To hear the whole piece, search "Transit Brass" on Spotify or, better yet, purchase a copy of Transit's CD!
March 30, 2018: I am so proud to have worked with Transit Brass over the course of the past year on their debut album Soundscapes! From the recording session, to long-distance Rapid Transit mastering marathons by email, to discussions of distribution strategies, Robert Sears and everyone at Transit have been wonderful colleagues. The CD sounds fantastic! Bravo for such strong playing throughout, and especially for your committed performance on Rapid Transit. I couldn't be more pleased with how this turned out. Support Transit Brass and buy a copy of Soundscapes today! You can also download the CD and individual tracks from iTunes or stream them on Spotify: just search "Transit Brass."
March 23, 2018: Back in September hornist Al Rise and pianist Monica Wixon got together and recorded my 2009 composition Night Music. I originally composed the piece as an art song for baritone voice, but it has found new life in arrangements for horn and for trombone. You can hear the final product from this recording session on my Concert Works page!
March 17, 2018: If you're one of those people who base their Easter church attendance on where the best music is, you should check out St. Francis Episcopal in Great Falls, VA. That's where I'll be playing trumpet this Easter – looking forward to making some joyful music with Larry Vote and the Choirs of St. Francis!
March 13, 2018: This just in! Dr. Cory Mixdorf and the University of Arkansas Faculty Brass Quintet, Arkansas Brassworks, will perform my composition In a Gentle Pause on their April 3rd recital at the Fine Arts Center's Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in Fayetteville, AR. Cory was one of the first to program my large brass piece, Revolutions per Minute, back in 2010 when he was at Georgia State University, and subsequently asked me to write The Troubadour for him. Thanks for continuing to perform my music!
March 7, 2018: Hope you caught Bradley Green, Michael Oberhauser, and myself on the airwaves when District New Music Coalition was featured on Takoma Radio's contemporary music program Coda with host Matt Testa. Thanks for having us on to talk about DNMC's mission and for playing some of our compositions! We all had a great time. Check out Matt's show every Wednesday from 6-8 pm by tuning into 94.3 WOWD-LP in the listening area or by streaming online at takomaradio.org.
March 4, 2018: Sunday's District New Music Coalition concert, featuring the Anacostia String Quartet at Denizens Brewing Co, was a huge success! Thanks to the quartet for lending their musicality to each piece, to the other composers (Sara Corry, Bradley Green, William Kenlon, Dave Molk and Michael Oberhauser) for sharing their compositions with us, and to everyone who attended and made this afternoon—and the whole March 3-4 weekend—a truly memorable DNMC launch! If you missed Sunday's show, you can hear the same program on April 6 at 7:30 pm at St. George's Episcopal in Arlington.
March 3, 2018: What more fabulous way to kick off District New Music Coalition's first weekend of concerts than with Megan Ihnen and Alan Theisen's beautifully crafted recital This World of Yes. Thanks to both of these extraordinary musicians, and to everyone who came out to tonight to support new music in the DC area!
February 28, 2018: Just put the finishing touches on the score for Trailing Image, commissioned by Tiffany Lu and the UMD Repertoire Orchestra. Can't wait to hear the rehearsals for this one! Mark your calendars now for the world premiere during UMRO's April 25, 2018 concert.
February 20, 2018: District New Music Coalition's first weekend of concerts is less than two weeks away, and one show wasn't enough! The night before DNMC at Denizens Brewing Co. on March 4 at 3 pm, come hear "This World of Yes" with out-of-town musical guests Megan Ihnen (mezzo-soprano) and Alan Theisen (saxophone), March 3, 7:30.
January 16, 2018: Announcing the launch of District New Music Coalition, the DC-area's newest contemporary music organization! DNMC's mission is to promote the performance and appreciation of new music by connecting performers, composers, institutions, and audiences in the DC metropolitan area through concerts, conferences, and active community building. Stay tuned for a whole series of inaugural events this spring: first, our New Music Happy Hour at the Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights on Jan. 27 at 5:30 pm; then, DNMC's first concert, Confluences, featuring its ensemble-in-residence, the Anacostia String Quartet, at Denizens Brewing in Silver Spring on March 4 at 3 pm! Visit DNMC's events page to learn more about these and other area happenings. DNMC is the product of half-a-year of planning by new music colleagues and myself, and we can't wait to share this project with you!
November 13, 2017: Excited to announce that I am working on a new commission for the University of Maryland Repertoire Orchestra! I was a member of this ensemble during my final year of doctoral work and we tackled some hefty compositions (I think my chops are still recovering from Sibelius' Second Symphony). Can't wait to hear Tiffany Lu and the orchestra breathe life into my latest project!
September 17, 2017: The new Wixon Music Works Blog is up and running! Check in every Sunday for a behind-the-scenes look at music composition, plus thoughts about trumpet, scholarship on film/video game soundtracks, and musings on effective arts marketing. I hope some of my writing is stimulating and I look forward to reading your comments!
July 23, 2017: Bravo to GRIT Collaborative and everyone involved in the Wind: Traveling Great Distances program at the Allen County Public Theatre! What a fantastic range of compositions – the art and choreography fit so seamlessly! Alex Meaux gave a fabulous performance of A Sudden Squall, and Lindsey Schoeneman's artwork and Sophia Jarrell's dance were perfect pairings. I hope to collaborate with this incredible group of artists again soon!
July 12, 2017: Due to some technical difficulties, Transit Brass's premiere of Rapid Transit will be rescheduled for the Fall. Check back for more information!
June 13-14, 2017: Congratulations to Transit Brass on a successful recording session! Among many challenging pieces, Transit recorded my latest composition, Rapid Transit, written for them this Spring. It was an privilege to work with you over the course of two days.
May 15, 2017: Very excited to announce that my 2016 composition for solo bassoon, A Sudden Squall, has been selected for GRIT Collaborative's July 23, 2017 program Wind: Traveling Great Distances at the Allen County Public Theater in Fort Wayne, IN. The works selected for this project will be paired with visual art and/or dance. You can check out bassoonist Ronn Hall's live performance of A Sudden Squall on my Soundcloud!
May 8, 2017: What a nice write-up of James Ross's final concert this past Friday with the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra Concert in The Washington Post this morning! Congratulations again to James Ross on his tenure at the University of Maryland and best wishes for his new orchestral adventures in Spain! The Post article also includes a kind mention of In Leviathan's Wake's premiere.
May 5, 2017: Bravo to conductor James Ross and the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, who gave such a marvelous world premiere of In Leviathan's Wake this evening! Congratulations, Jim, on your inspiring years at the UMD School of Music and thanks for your advocacy for this piece! In Leviathan's Wake received first prize in the 2016 Walter Summer Fund Composition Competition.
April 24, 2017: The University of Maryland Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Chris Vadala, gave a very well-received performance at the Calvin Jones BIG BAND Jazz Festival at the University of the District of Columbia. Check out our final concert of the semester next week: May 3rd, 5:30PM at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center! Details here.
April 8, 2017: Dr. Stephen Dunn, Associate Professor of Trumpet at Northern Arizona University, performed Evening on the Town on his April 8th recital at the University of New Mexico as part of UNM's Trumpet Week (details). Dr. Dunn previously performed this piece on his March 2nd, 2017 recital at Northern Arizona University.
April 7, 2017: Dr. Michael Votta led the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra in the world premiere of my Double Quintet (combined wind and brass quintets) in Dekelboum Concert Hall. You can hear an audio sample on my "Concert Works" page!
April 5, 2017: On a challenging and thrilling graduate horn recital, Al Rise premiered my composition, Night Music for horn and piano, at the University of Maryland! Night Music is also available in a version for trombone and piano. Many thanks, Al, for a fantastic performance!
March 24, 2017: Excited to announce that I will compose a new work for the very talented Illinois-based brass octet, Transit Brass.
January 15, 2017: My recent work for full orchestra, In Leviathan's Wake, received the 2016 Walter Summer Award first prize in composition and will be premiered by the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of James Ross on May 5, 2017 at 8:00PM in Dekelboum Concert Hall at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Details can be found here.
October 11, 2016: Dr. Peter Wood, professor of trumpet at the University of South Alabama, performed my trumpet solo Evening on the Town with accompanist Jasmin Arakawa in the Recital Hall at Laidlaw Performing Arts Center.
September 9, 2016: Ronn Hall premiered my unaccompanied bassoon solo A Sudden Squall (previously titled Short Essay), composed in 36 hours as part of TEMPO New Music ensemble's 72-Hour Composition Challenge.
June 3, 2016: Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and Miriam Hickman, piano, performed my trumpet solo Evening on the Town on the New Works Recital at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Anaheim, CA.
March 31, 2016: Trombonist Bryan Bourne, formerly of the "President's Own" Marine Band, recorded Sparkling Dialogue on his solo CD Transitions. Bryan commissioned this piece from me in 2010 and premiered it with the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic in 2015.