Driving home one clear winter’s night, I looked out over fields of snow and glimpsed a greenish glow in the sky.  I pulled over and watched, in awe, the dancing lights of the aurora. As I gazed, sounds and feelings unfolded in my mind.  I knew that I needed to express this experience through [...]]]>

Driving home one clear winter’s night, I looked out over fields of snow and glimpsed a greenish glow in the sky.  I pulled over and watched, in awe, the dancing lights of the aurora. As I gazed, sounds and feelings unfolded in my mind.  I knew that I needed to express this experience through music.  I also knew that the concert band, with its dazzling palette of colours and huge range of potential textures, would be the perfect medium for this work.

Join the team in commissioning “Dancing Lights of the North”, a new 4-5 minute work, for grade 3-4 concert band. Core members will receive a score and full set of parts, sent on October 1, 2012, your name or school’s name in the score, exclusive performance rights until March 1, 2013, and more. With Associate and Supporter levels of membership also available, anyone can be involved in bringing this piece to life.

Click here for more info.

Often I am inspired by the wonder of nature, or am working in a dramatic medium such as opera, so I delighted in the chance to create “absolute” music for “Pacific [...]]]> This Saturday March 24, and Sunday March 25, Pacific Baroque Orchestra will be premiering my Partita for Baroque Orchestra along with music by some composer named Bach.

Often I am inspired by the wonder of nature, or am working in a dramatic medium such as opera, so I delighted in the chance to create “absolute” music for “Pacific Baroque.” I see many fundamental similarities between Baroque and popular music, and I gain deep joy and satisfaction from  listening to both. In “Partita” I attempt to fuse my love of Baroque counterpoint, form, and texture, with the simplicity and directness of popular music. That’s my thesis anyway! Ultimately the music takes a life of it’s own and becomes, not a sum of it’s inspirations, but something new, and it is judged (or should be judged), on it’s final content and form.

First off, what is a Baroque Orchestra anyway? Well, a modern “Baroque” orchestra consists of copies of instruments, or actual instruments that would [...]]]> I’m currently finishing off a work for the wonderful Pacific Baroque Orchestra and thought I’d share some insight and answer some questions about writing for a Baroque orchestra.

First off, what is a Baroque Orchestra anyway? Well, a modern “Baroque” orchestra consists of copies of instruments, or actual instruments that would have been used during the Baroque period of music (1600-1760). For example a Baroque oboe has only three keys (a modern oboe has 45 pieces of key work), the Violone is the predecessor to the Contrabass, and of course recorders are rarely used in modern music. String instruments generally had shorter bows and everything was tuned lower since the strings were made of cat gut and couldn’t be stretched as tightly.

What is it like to write for a Baroque orchestra and how is it different than writing for a modern orchestra? The principles of music don’t change depending on the instruments I write for.  I am more familiar with writing for a modern orchestra, but I have written for enough different and unusual ensembles to be comfortable approaching instruments I am less familiar with. I have also listened to recordings and seen Baroque orchestras in concert so I knew what I was getting into. For my “Partita” I listened to recordings of Pacific Baroque and other Baroque orchestras to see how I would be inspired by the sound. Every piece is a different bricolage because I am different, and the instrumental possibilities are different with every piece. For Pacific Baroque I was inspired to write music that is a blend of popular rhythms and melodies, Baroque counterpoint and form, and my own personal style.  I didn’t know that the harpsichord could sound so funky!

It’s been such fun to write this piece I can’t wait to hear the PBO dig into it. If you are in Vancouver you can check out Pacific Baroque Orchestra playing my “Partita” along with Bach and sons music on Saturday March 24, St. Mark’s Church ~ 7:30pm and Sunday March 25, West Van United Church ~ 2:30pm.