Welcome to my new blog! Ann Arbor on my mind.

Welcome to the new and improved blog space on my new and improved website! Please check back for news, updates and other delights. When they appear in my life, I'll share them here. 

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a man of the Midwest. And no matter how far I may go, or where I may live, an important part of me, as urgent and alive as the summer sun, was shaped by my childhood in Pittsfield Township, Michigan. 

While Andrea and I currently make our home in Redlands, California, I'm always glad to get back to Southeastern Michigan when I can. I'm grateful that my longstanding relationship with the Michigan Philharmonic has afforded me the chance to do just that over the years--most recently when they premiered my latest commission for them, Changes, in January of this year, and then in May for performances of Paddle to the Sea for fourth-graders. 

The next performance of my work in Michigan brings me even closer to home. If you're in Ann Arbor, and available Tuesday December 18th at 8pm, consider attending a benefit concert for the George Shirley Scholarship Fund. I'm honored that countertenor Darryl Taylor will be performing two songs he commissioned from me at this event at Kerrytown Concert House. 

It's a special treat to be performed at the Concert House. I grew up performing there--as a young piano student, through my adolescence, and then as a graduate student. So for my work to be returning to a space where I spent many of my formative years as a musician is kind of a "full-circle moment" for me. 

It's a great cause, and even though I can't be there, I'm so glad my work will, in some small way, contribute to the community that gave so much to me. I hope it's not the last time it will. 

http://www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com/index.php/events/event/shirley_fundraiser_20122