News and Performances
The music that I have chosen for my news page is the second movement from my brass quintet,
Desert Light. Click on the arrow to hear it if it's not already playing.
2024/2025 Winter Events
December 18: The 78th Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago will begin with performances by the United States Coast Guard Band. The USCGB's first concert (and the first concert of the conference) will be a chamber winds concert that includes my Rossiniana for woodwind octet. At 5:30 pm the full USCGB will perform my piece for solo harp and wind ensemble, Spring Rain, with harpist Megan Sesma. I will be there as will many hundreds of music educators and student and professional performers from around the country and around the world.
February 2: Oboe virtuoso Nancy Ambrose King performs my Three Excursions for Solo Oboe at the Penn State Double Reed Day in the Music Building on the State College campus.
February 8: My composition for solo harp and wind orchestra, Spring Rain, will be performed in Denver by harpist Jenna Hunt and the Colorado Wind Ensemble under the direction of David Kish. The concert will commence at 7:30 pm in the King Center Concert Hall at 855 Lawrence Way Admission is charged.
February 16: My arrangement of Debussy's piano prelude titled The girl with the flaxen hair will performed by the Harmonie North Chamber Winds under conductor Timothy Cook. The 3 pm concert will be held in the United Methodist Church (429 Brainerd Ave.) Libertyville, Illinois. This is a free concert.
March 21: Nancy Ambrose King performs my Three Excursions for Solo Oboe during a master class that she is giving at the University. of North Carolina in Greensboro.
March 28: Nancy Ambrose King performs my Three Excursions for Solo Oboe again at a master class at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
March 31: Nancy Ambrose King performs my Three Excursions for Solo Oboe at a master class and recital that she is giving at the University of Denver.
US Coast Guard Band Performs Two Gryc Works
at the Midwest Clinic
The US Coast Guard band under the direction of Adam Williamson is the featured ensemble at the Midwest Clinic, the world's largest conference for music educators that takes place every year in Chicago. A woodwind octet will perform my Rossiniana at a the 8:15 am concert on December 18, and harpist Megan Sesma will perform my Spring Rain with the band at a 5:30 concert the same day. I will be in attendance.
Valerie Whitney CD Features "Reflections on a Southern Hymn"
Belfiato Wind Quintet
records "Five American Portraits"
in Prague, Czechia
Summit Records has released a new CD titled COURAGE! that features virtuoso horn player Valerie Whitney. Included the program of nine works is my for solo horn titled Reflections on a Southern Hymn. Only one piece out of the nine works on the diverse program uses piano to accompany the horn. Valerie says that my piece was one of the first she bought for her library after beginning to play the horn at age 10. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera, Milwaukee Symphony and Florida Symphony. Valerie now teaches at the University of British Columbia. If you love the horn, you need to get this amazing CD.
I traveled to Prague, Czechia in May for a recording session with the Belfiato wind quintet which is making a compilation CD of new American works for Parma Records. The group recorded an older work of mine, the Five American Portraits for Five Wind Instruments from 1987. The virtuosity of these players is amazing, and producer Jan Kosulic was perfectly in sync with the musicians. Our recording studio was an old church in Prague with beautiful acoustics. A video to accompany the studio recording will also be produced. The CD should drop in 2025.