SUNDRY UTTERANCES

A while back, I ended a post with the words “Connect . The . Dots 2 is coming...” Well, Connect . The . Dots . 2 is now here. For those not yet familiar, the project seeks to empower people to better understand and connect to new music by involving them in the creative process, from planning to premiere. During the first iteration, my collaborators and I shared the work of creating four solo pieces. This time around, my partners, Imogen Hancock and Toby Thatcher, will documen

You’re doing it wrong. That may sound like an odd thing to say about how someone experiences experiences, but, really, you’re probably doing it wrong. Modern society has been on a seemingly unstoppable path towards a friction-less, on-demand – even pre-demand – culture that has seduced us with a shallow comfort that is defined in the negative, in the avoidance of the unpleasant. I’ve been there, seeking and effortlessly finding that easy bit of distraction: facebook, youtube,

Nearly three years ago I began a project that would become the definitive catalyst in my search for a voice as a composer, artist, and even human. I know; that sounds like hyperbole, but it really was one leap of faith that emboldened me to brave many others by embracing a paradigm that holds failure and vulnerability as values – ones that have guided just about every decision I have made since. The benefit of this change may seem dubious at first; isn’t the goal to try to ke

My mind is constantly buzzing: composition ideas, project ideas, idea ideas. It’s a bit of mess, but every now and then that mess results in something worthwhile, not just for me as an artist, but – more importantly – for those that might engage with my work. One of these projects is a long-brewing plan for a flugelhorn concerto for my friend and fabulous trumpeter, Imogen Hancock. The initial spark for it came back in 2014 when her and I were working together on Connect . Th