In the thick of it

I'm deep in the thick of things now. I missed a lot of composing time during the summer, but I do have a series of sketches to work from.

If I only had some time.

In the midst of my semester of teaching, I'm also typesetting parts for a new work by Hans Abrahamsen, a horn concerto, and have another set of parts due in the middle of November for another composer.

I have no doubt I'll make those deadlines, but it is taking me away from my composing until they are done.

In the meantime I have a premiere next week of the latest version of Paradiso, a full(-ish) orchestra version, at the College Music Society national convention. It goes back to the original version, except that there is no soprano saxophone, harp, or piano available. Without the piano, I also had to change the ending, adding two more bars. I don't know if I'll change the other versions, yet. The piano had a flourish during the final chord, and it just didn't work in other instruments, so I gave in a more final ending. I'm going out to hear a rehearsal Tuesday of next week before the Thursday premiere. (Oct 24 at 8 pm, University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra.)

Other than that, I don't have a sniff of a performance until I finish my piece for Tenor Sax and string quartet, which still doesn't have a name. My run of performances hasn't really survived the move to Cincinnati, unfortunately. I've submitted pieces for a number of concert series, but nothing has stuck.That isn't the best way of getting performances, but I need to keep my oars in the water until something happens, another commission or something.

Next semester, I'm teaching an overload, including two new courses, so I won't have much free time.

Back to the grindstone ...