About this project

Composing two commissions through ArtistShare® was a wonderful experience.  There are many different sensations to sharing such a journey, and in the end, I learn a lot about my own process.  It's been a pleasure to document it all for you–even the difficult times.  The toughest moments became especially interesting in retrospect.  Going through it may be challenging, but arriving at the right answer is thrilling.   Rather than pretending the process isn't bumpy, the documentation has made me face the reality of how truly unpredictable and sometimes painful, the process is, all the way from conception, to rehearsal and first performance.  

And so, welcome to my newest endeavor.  With your participation, I am beginning a new piece for Spring 2012 and I invite you to experience the unfolding of this new work.

Along with access to exclusive conference calls and video updates, in gratitude, the commissioner's name will be printed on the title page of the finished score and parts, and the additional participants will also be credited on the last page of the score and parts used by my group as well as any other groups that perform the work.

Traditional commissioned pieces can sometimes be restrictive if they dictate length and form.  The adventure of this project is that this piece may take on any shape or form: You are allowing me total artistic freedom to create and perfect a piece that has come straight from my imagination, so there are no limits.  I am dedicated to creating the best piece that I possibly can, so much so, that if I create a piece that after performing, I find that am not satisfied with, I will begin again and write a new piece until I am satisfied.

If it is your wish to become the sole commissioner of this piece, you can do so by purchasing all four Commission Participant offers.  You can also split the commission with a friend (purchase two offers each) or just purchase one of the four commission openings and experience this adventure with other like minded music lovers.  

Depending what level you join in at, there are offers ranging from: personal phone calls with updates from myself, a special invitation to rehearsals and the premiere at the Newport Jazz Festival® on August 5th 2012, to video updates of my compositional process, meetings or phone conversations with musicians, video of discussions at rehearsals, rehearsal footage, as well as anything and everything that feels interesting to share as various issues arise through the exploration of unknown territory.  I also invite participants to send their specific questions for me to address in the videos.

I hope you'll join me as I begin another compositional journey.