I’ll be on the road for most of next week. On Monday, I fly to East Lansing, Michigan, for the premiere of “Asphalt Cocktail” with the Michigan State University Wind Symphony, conducted by Kevin Sedatole. I’m excited to hear the piece in person, as I’ve only heard band room rehearsal recordings so far. It’s tough trying to make revisions to a piece based only on a recording from a band room. Everything is loud, there’s no reverb, and there’s no space between the mike and the players, so there’s no blend whatsoever. I can’t tell what to make of the piece, but I’ll know soon enough. The performance is on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, I fly home to Austin, then on Thursday morning, I head down to San Antonio for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention. This is always a fun convention, and this will be my first time attending since moving to Texas. (This convention, and what it represents, are a big reason for my moving to Texas. How many states have a music educator convention every year with over 15,000 attendees?)

On Thursday at 12:30, the Texas Tech Wind Ensemble will perform two movements from my Soprano Sax Concerto, with Sarah McKoin conducting and David Dees playing the solo part. If past years are any indication, I’ll spend Thursday and Friday evenings at Swig, and then on Saturday afternoon, the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) Symphonic Band will perform “Undertow.” I’m not sure yet if I’m heading home on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. It’ll probably be Saturday, as I’m working on two pieces right now, and both are way behind schedule…