End of May Reflection...
It really has been a productive month! I'm thankful that the end of UM's Spring semester did not lead to a lull in musical activity - instead, I've been involved in a variety of different projects through the HMI Institute.
My work as a production assistant with the the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra continued into mid-May, as Frost students had the opportunity to perform with Gloria Estefan, Rita Morena, and Jon Secada for AARP's Life@50 Event at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Check out this compilation of footage from Gloria's set!
Gloria Estefan Official Links Website: http://www.gloriaestefan.com
At the end of the month, I had the opportunity to engineer the HMI Septet's three-day session at Red Rock Studios in Miami. I really loved this project - it was fantastic to both hear and record my colleagues' septet arrangements of Henry Mancini's most popular compositions. Congratulations to producers John Daversa and Stephen Guerra, and everyone in the group for a wonderful experience - I cannot wait to hear and share the final product!
Finally, I've been working on preparing an updated score of Grammy winner and seven time Emmy nominee Nan Schwartz's Perspectives, written in 2003 for the HMI Orchestra. Engraving other composers' music is a fantastic way to study different approaches to orchestration - and in the case of Perspectives, offers additional inspiration for my own writing. This is a beautifully crafted work and I just cannot wait to see what Schwartz's plans are for this new edition!
On a related topic, I would suggest anyone that uses Finale and/or Sibelius notation software to check out musician, arranger and notation expert Robert Puff's blog Of Note - I cannot begin to count the number of times I have referred to his site whenever I have reached the limits of my Finale knowledge. He shares so many incredibly useful articles, tutorials, and professional tips for novices and seasoned veterans - subscribe to his blog!