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In February, I visited Austin for a few things. I had some really amazing Turkish coffee (shown above) and I attended the University of Texas Wind Ensemble TMEA preview concert, which featured: Ron Nelson’s Savannah River Holiday, conducted by Dr. Doug Henderson John Wesley Gibson’s Caim The world premiere of Gao Hong’s A Musical Journey: Concerto for Pipa and Wind Ensemble The United States premiere of John Mackey’s the isle is full of noises (Symphony no. 2)
This concert absolutely floored me in every single way. Though I had only heard Savannah River Holiday, which I hadn’t thought of since I conducted it in grad school, each piece felt familiar and like I was greeting an old friend. I am so thankful to have had the chance to attend that concert in the intimate space of Bates Recital Hall and then watch it the following night at a full house at Lila Cockrell Theatre at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference. Which brings me to… For the first time since 2020, I attended TMEA as a convention attendee! Though these days I typically work the C. Alan Publications booth, I had the pleasure of walking around Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center for a change. It was such a great time seeing everyone during the conference and making the most of my time in San Antonio! I visited my alma mater, San Benito High School, to adjust the sound design for their 2026 indoor marching percussion show. Shoutout to these amazing students for taking home first place at their most recent competition! I look forward to tracking their progress throughout the rest of the season. I took the rest of the month off from writing any new music. I know that’s atypical for me, but with so many personal things coming to fruition, I’ve decided to take a creative break.
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