Many thanks to the great folks at Houghton Horns for carrying my music for horn ensemble in their store. Houghton Horns is one of the best surprises we found when we moved to Texas--a world-class brass shop in our neighborhood! Click this link to see my compositions available from the store. 

What an amazing season of music-making we had--and in our very first year with this new ensemble! It was our pleasure to present this performance of outstanding music as a benefit concert to our friend and colleague, Mary Brown. See our YouTube channel soon for the videos from this concert! 

It was my pleasure to compose a new piece for horn choir, arrange a Wagner medley for horns, and conduct the professional and mass horn choirs at TCU's 2023 HornFest. Professor Heather Test is such a positive influence on the TCU musical community, and I am grateful to be included in the rehearsals and concerts featuring so many gifted horn players!

The North Central Texas Winds and the NCTC College Singers combined for our annual "Sounds of NCTC." NCTWinds performed music by Ticheli, Holst, Bennett, and Rutter; the brass section premiered a new fanfare I composed for NCTC, entitled Panthera Leo.  

Laura and I are still catching our breath from the incredible weekend we had at the Tri-State Band Festival at Florida State. We were SO HONORED to conduct groups at the event, and we enjoyed every second. We made new friends and were able to catch up with so many brilliant, musical people we have known for decades. PRISM is an incredible force of nature, and the entire Tri-State experience from the student (and conductor!) perspective is absolutely awe-inspiring. As he has done for many years now, Patrick Dunnigan continues to steer the ship in an honorable, exciting, and musical course. Thanks to all those who made our weekend possible!

I have really enjoyed meeting so many new friends in NCTWinds this semester! This concert went really well, and I am so grateful we were able to make music in the beautiful concert hall at Argyle Middle School. Check out the NCTWinds YouTube Channel !
 

My 2022 "marching season" is complete with 38 titles arranged...whew!! Thanks to so many friends for asking me to arrange music for your amazing marching bands! See my marching band page to catch up on available titles and performances by these outstanding groups.

The North Central Texas Winds is a new community wind ensemble based in Denton, Texas. The group will be dedicated to performing significant literature with musical integrity and artistic intent. This ensemble will be a "hybrid" -- it will serve both NCTC and the surrounding community. Rehearsals will be held on Mondays, 7-9 PM, beginning in August 2022. Learn more on the North Central Texas Winds page -- let's spread the word about this new musical opportunity!

In a tribute to the strength and resilience of the people of New York City, the Western Michigan University Marching Band opened their season with my arrangement of New York, New York.

Thanks to Lee Commander and the students in the Leon High School Band for inviting me to their rehearsal via "Zoom." They will premiere Voices From Thy Classic Halls at their upcoming spring concert. It was so rewarding to hear their terrific work on the piece--great job!

Voices From Thy Classic Halls was commissioned by the historic Leon High School Band Program in Tallahassee, Florida. Established in Florida’s Capital City in 1871, Leon is one of the oldest high schools in the United States. I am honored to write a piece for this outstanding band program and their talented and dedicated director, Mr. Lee Commander. A score sample and recording will be posted soon on the publications page.

The Madison County Middle School Honor Band recently commissioned a new grade 2 piece for their performance in 2021. Highland Folkways includes a poignant, reflective setting of Hallelujah, What a Savior by Philip Bliss and a festive, up-tempo version of the folk tune Old Joe Clark. Thanks to Mr. Donald Dowdy and all the directors in Madison County for this opportunity!

The Baylor Golden Wave Band released a video of their performance of "binge-watching" TV themes--my arrangements of Game of Thrones, Friends, Parks and Recreation, The Big Bang Theory, and The Office.

Inspired by our need to be socially distant during the pandemic, Baylor's first show of 2020 features my arrangements of Don't Stand So Close To Me (The Police), Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol), Here I Go Again On My Own (Whitesnake), I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor), and Happy Together (The Turtles).  Click to watch their YouTube video of the performance!

The Niceville High School Wind Ensemble commissioned a transcription of the Andante movement from Mahler's 6th Symphony.  I was so pleased to conduct the premier performance at the Florida Music Educators Clinic/Conference!  I was fortunate to student teach at Niceville as an undergraduate music education major (a while ago!) and it is truly a special place with a wonderful musical tradition.  Thanks to Dan Wooten for the invitation to work with this outstanding group!

The Marching Illini and Spartan Marching Band performed a combined show this week called "Made in America."  The bands performed my arrangements of James Brown's Living in America, Hank Williams Jr.'s All My Rowdy Friends, John Fogerty's Centerfield, the Blues Brothers' Sweet Home Chicago, Stevie Wonder's Superstition, and John Mellencamp's Little Pink Houses.  Click to watch the show!

Members of the UC-Boulder Symphonic Band performed my transcription of Three Debussy Pieces. Transcribed from three works originally written for piano, the piece explores beautiful melodies and lush impressionist harmonies.

I am pleased to have arranged music for the Marching Chiefs since 2007. This year, the group celebrated the 80th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz with my medley of Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead, We're Off to See the Wizard, and Over the Rainbow.

 The Michigan State Band performed their "Ladies of the 80's" show, featuring my arrangements of tunes by Madonna, Cher, and Pat Benatar.  

The Baylor Marching Band began the season with my medley of "Boy Band" tunes from One Direction and the Jonas Brothers.

I am so happy to be the music arranger for the Kennesaw State Marching Owls for the 2019 season! The group recently performed their first show of the season that included my arrangements of theme songs from popular TV shows: Friends, That 70's Show, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, and Game of Thrones. 

It is a great pleasure for me to begin work as the Director of the NCTC Band Program. I look forward to a fantastic year, meeting many new students and making music from the podium!  

The Summit Brass recently performed The Pure In Heart on the closing concert of the Rafael Méndez Brass Institute in Denver, Colorado. The ensemble consists of some of the nation’s leading trumpet, horn, trombone and tuba soloists and chamber and orchestral musicians. They have recorded numerous albums, been the feature of many television and radio programs, and commissioned many works for brass. I am honored that this amazing group chose to perform my music!

I was honored to conduct the Red River Trombones at the International Trombone Festival held at Indiana's Ball State University. We premiered eight new pieces for trombone octet by some outstanding composers. Thanks to Dave Begnoche, Barney McCollum, and Dennis Bubert for your support!

A brass choir from Florida State's marching band performed my arrangements of Amazing Grace and Armed Forces Medley this morning at a wreath-laying ceremony at Normandy, France.  The ensemble performed in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.  WWII veteran and Conductor Emeritus of the U.S. Air Force Band, Colonel Arnald Gabriel, is pictured with the group.

Thanks to Heather Test and the TCU Horn Studio for inviting me to arrange and conduct a new piece for 5 horn quartets (two quartets are off stage!).  HornFest 2019 was an amazing event, and I was honored to be a part of it!

Echoes of a Winter Past, published by Excelcia Publishing, was premiered by the Osceola County Honor Band at their annual All-County Festival.  The piece will be available in the Fall 2019 Excelcia catalog and has already been added to the state music list in North Carolina.  Thanks to the ensemble and their conductor, Laura Singletary, for a great performance! 

The Stiletto Brass recently commissioned a new arrangement for their amazing brass quintet with concert band.  Lovers No More is a medley of three songs from the early 1900's: After You've Gone, I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now, and Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? The premier performance featured the Stiletto Brass accompanied by the State College of Florida Symphonic Band.  

In a halftime show featuring the university's vocal ensemble, Baylor's Golden Wave Band performed my arrangements of Lin-Manuel Miranda's music from the Broadway hit "Hamilton."  Thanks to Dr. Isaiah Odajima for the opportunity to arrange this music for your fantastic group!

The amazing Michigan State Spartan Marching Band performed my arrangements of the music of Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Beyoncé in their halftime entitled "Breakout Artists." Thanks to Dr. David Thornton for performing some of my arrangements with your group!

I'm excited about a new publishing opportunity with Excelcia Music!  I am grateful that my music will be available in Excelcia's Fall 2019 catalog.   I appreciate the opportunity to work with Larry Clark and the team at Excelcia!

My article, The Fall Concert: A Worthy Goal for High School Bands, was recently published in Florida Music Director.  The article advocates a "total program" philosophy through giving students opportunities to learn and perform through the concert band all year long.

The TCU Wind Symphony Brass performed The Pure in Heart on Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 PM in the Ed Landreth Hall in Fort Worth.  Thanks to Professor Bobby Francis for programming the work and Dr. Laura Singletary for conducting and rehearsing the piece!  

The TCU Horn Ensemble recently commissioned and premiered my new horn octet at their annual HornFest.  Entitled Wavelengths, the piece explores Reflections in movement one and Refractions in movement two. Many thanks to Professor Heather Test for so many composing opportunities this year!  A video recording of the performance is available here.

​Laura and I had a wonderful time teaching the Seminole (FL) All-County Bands. Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to work with such fine musicians!  The high school band performed Grainger's Children's March, Bach's Fantasia in G, Nelson's Lauds, and my own True Love of Mine.  I recently completed a new set of teaching materials for Children's March that includes extracted and transposed SATB singing parts for each instrument - these really helped the students learn and sing Grainger's vocal parts!

Horn faculty from around the State of Texas recently performed my Texas Medley at the Texas Music Educators Association clinic/conference in San Antonio.  The piece included several familiar tunes associated with the Lone Star State, and it will be performed by the Horn Choir of West Texas A&M University on their upcoming tour of Scotland.

The Michigan State University Concert Band performed Three Debussy Pieces and True Love of Mine at their concert on February 21st.  Thank you to conductor Simon Holoweiko for performing these works!

Prof. Heather Test and the TCU Horn Choir commissioned and performed Christmas Tidings for Twelve Horns at their winter performance, "Horns for the Holidays."  The piece includes settings of Fum, Fum, Fum, O Come, Emmanuel, and God Rest, Ye Merry Gentlemen.  

It was my privilege to conduct Eric Whitacre's October at the Florida Bandmasters Hall of Fame concert honoring one of my mentors, Tom Fitzpatrick.  Congratulations, Tom!

My fanfare, The Pure in Heart, was selected as a winning entry in the 2017 Dallas Winds Fanfare Contest. The piece will be part of a tradition extending back to the year 2000, when the Dallas Winds began performing brass fanfares prior to curtain for each of its subscription concerts. Patrons eagerly gather in the lobby to hear these fanfares, which have become an important part of the whole concert-going experience. 

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See more at the Dallas Winds website.

The Florida State University Marching Chiefs were the first band to perform in Atlanta's new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  The halftime show was a salute to the city of Atlanta that featured two of my recent arrangements - Georgia on My Mind and Sweet Georgia Brown.  The Chiefs will perform a Disney show later this season that will include my arrangement of Bare Necessities from "The Jungle Book."

The Kansas Music Educators Association All-State Band performed True Love of Mine on February 25th.  I enjoyed speaking with the students via FaceTime on the day of the performance!  Many thanks to Dr. Patrick Dunnigan for programming the piece with the ensemble and for so many other musical opportunities through the years.