http://ostimusic.com/blog Photos, music, food, and fun from composer John Mackey Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:31:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Well, it's done.  The premiere -- and recording session! -- for my new trombone concerto has come and gone, and it couldn't have gone better... I blogged about my personal trombone master class with Joe Alessi back in June, then blogged about the concept for the concerto back in July, and then ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/harvest-trombone-concerto-premiere I just posted the first "officially sanctioned" (whatever the hell that means) recording of "Aurora Awakes," as performed a few weeks ago by the University of Alabama Wind Ensemble and conducted by Randall Coleman.  As with any performance, there were a few tiny things I wish I could pull from ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/aurora-awakes-recording It's been a busy couple of weeks, with trips to the University of Alabama, Ole Miss, and West Point.  There will be several blog entries coming, but first, I wanted to make everybody aware of a new studio recording of "Strange Humors" -- the version for sax quartet and djembe ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/strange-humors-sax-recording Last night, AEJ and I were discussing the human need for unabashedly joyful music, whereas it's common for composers -- myself included -- to sometimes not trust the urge to just write something joyous, and instead overthink a piece to make it seem more intellectually rooted.  (I've sort of given ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/greatest-hits I'm off to TMEA -- the Texas Music Educators Association -- convention tomorrow afternoon. I expect it to be a fun week. On Friday night at 6:30, the Westwood High School Orchestra -- selected as this year's TMEA Honor Orchestra -- will perform the original orchestra (!) version ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/heading-to-tmea For some reason, I'm frequently asked for advice about college composition programs. "Where should I go to school for music composition?" or, maybe even more common, "where should my kid go?" I'm usually reluctant to name names and pick favorites (although I'm willing to after a drink or ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/picking-a-school It's been a while since I've written about any of our (seemingly endless) home renovations.  We did the family room (Elvis style!), the living room (which we've improved quite a bit since the original post; I need to take new pictures), the front door and foyer, and the multiple entries ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/whos-hungry The United States Navy Band recently released a CD containing my Soprano Sax Concerto with Timothy Roberts playing the solo part, and Captain George Thompson conducting.  The recording is really fantastic, and I think it's the best one out there right now.  And best of all -- it's free.  In ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/new-sax-concerto-recording I've posted my newest piece, "Xerxes," a concert march.  (The title is, as usual, courtesy of AEJ, who called it Xerxes within 30 seconds of hearing the piece the first time.  Xerxes, for those who haven't seen "300," was King of Persia from 485 BC until his assassination by stabbing ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/xerxes Yes, it's that time of year once again. For the fifth year in a row, I present to you: The most fantastically awful performance ever of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Courtesy of John Corigliano, who emailed this to me back in 2004. (He's one of those people who ... http://ostimusic.com/blog/once-again-the-worst-nutcracker-ever