State of play

I did finally pull the plug on a recording of Inner Sanctum, however I'm still negotiating with them. We discussed briefly a recording of Oyre's Garden, but that is an old piece, and I'm not sure an 8 minute piece on a compilation is good value for money with where I am at now.

As I am known mostly for my saxophone music, we are now discussing a recording of From Her Husband's Hand. There are a lot of things still up in the air on it, but I'm awaiting their proposal. Then comes the ugly task of financing it. Some of that will depend on who performs it and where. So far, our discussions have included at least one live performance (on a regular concert) along with the recording. It would still be a compilation, but the piece is more substantial and about twice as long. And it will probably cost more.

Any recommendations on crowdfunding sources?

Aside from that, composing ...

I think my next piece will be a short orchestral work - and I mean really short - for a small competition. I've been wanting to write for orchestra, so this might be a way back in. There is no money or even a performance in it, but I have an idea, so I might give it a go. The contest theme is the Elements. Mine will be water. I've got a sound world in my head, and a tentative title: The Black Pool. (Not to be confused with the city of Blackpool in England.) It may eventually become something larger, and that probably means it won't win the competition.

After that, I don't know. I would like to write some piano music, but I may arrange From Her Husband's Hand for the same size ensemble as Remembering the Night Sky to increase the performance possibilities. Otherwise, I seem to have ground to a halt. I'm just way too busy with teaching and typesetting work.

I still have a recording session coming up in Syracuse - Labyrinth - followed by another performance of it on Feb. 16. Half the ensemble is different from last time, so we will see how that goes. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it to the rehearsal before the recording session. (That would mean flying out and back on the same day.)

Well, that is where things stand now.