Brass Quintet Premiere

This past Sunday was the premiere of Dance Suite for Brass Quintet which was wonderfully performed by the Boulevard Brass Quintet. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this fine group of musicians and hope to do so again in the future. The audience's reaction to the piece was very positive with comments like "it was the funnest thing on the program" and "it's a nice set of character pieces, each movement with a contrasting mood."

Twisted Fate

Due to the threat of tornadoes the premiere of Echo has been postponed until a later date. I will post more details about when the concert will be rescheduled as I receive them. While I am upset that the performance didn't happen I recieved some valuable insight from my performers which led to some edits in the score. Thanks to the storm my performers and I will have time to implement those changes. Be sure to come Sunday, April 15th to hear the Dance Suite for brass quintet at 6PM in Pitman Recital Hall. 

Update on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at 03:05PM by Wes Stephens

The OU Student Composer's Concert has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 21st, at 6PM in Pitman Recital Hall.

The Song Remains the Same

I have been asked to write a 20 minute-ish long song cycle for contralto and piano, tentatively titled Portraits of Eve. I am looking at setting poems by female poets from the 19th and 20th centuries (pending proper permission is granted). The poems I will use look at love with a feminine perspective throughout a woman's life. It promises to be one of the most challenging and rewarding works that I have ever attempted to date.

Echo and Brass Quintet Performances

I have just recently finished Echo for Bass-Baritone, B-flat clarinet, and piano. The premiere is tentatively set for mid-April (fingers crossed) on one of the two OU composer's concerts. The Dance Suite for Brass Quintet will be premiered that same weekend, most likely on the remaining composer's concert.

Update on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 10:21PM by Wes Stephens

The dates for the premieres of Echo and the Dance Suite have been finalized. Echo will be premiered by Mark Billy, Andrea Isaacson, and Nicole Boyle on Saturday, April 14th at 6PM. The Brass Quintet will be premiered by the Boulevard Brass Quintet the following night, April 15th at 6PM. Both concerts will take place in Pitman Recital Hall located within Catlett Music Center.

Recital Madness

I just wanted to say thanks to Lindsay Palmer, who designed a wonderful poster for my upcoming DMA recital on April 1st.