December 11 - Hair Today

Eight more pages of Samson and Delilah: X. Delilah orchestrated, thanks to some Sibelius help from Peter Josheff tonight at San Francisco Cabaret Opera Fresh Voices Selection Committee meeting (just during the breaks -- we keep our attention on matters at hand most of evening, at soiree chez Sharon Walters, with Harriet, Eliza, and Gus).



Before this, last normal-class-meeting-time-week in Theory, with Seth, Jamison, and Hiraoki presenting dictation, board harmony, and dictation, respectively/sequentially -- in intriguing passages from Blonde Redhead, et. al.


Also last day for fourth compositions -- including fine ones from Megan, Shayda, and Sean, with a rider to the bill of Overture to "The Bald Soprano."

November 24 - By a Hair

Finish the orchestration of Samson and Delilah: I. Digits and blast off to school, thinking I'm off the hook teaching, but, no, both of our student teachers are no shows, so it's back to the front of the classroom for a dictation of Howard Shore's The Shire from The Lord of the Rings, followed by Hiraoki's witty Lazy and John's difficult bitonal tour-de-force.



Afterwards, it's in the lab to record Joshua Fought the Battle:

II. Shall We Gather

III. Deep River

IV. The Battle of Jericho

and

S&D: I

Mark Steidel checks in with raves re Opera Apocalypse, Glenn Appell shares positive student evaluations re last week's classroom visit, and Brett Peppo gives thumbs up for me continuing to teach one of the summer Music History classes. Hallelujah....

Home with Harriet, and back out to U.C. Davis Library for more Camille Saint-Saens Samson and Delilah, and further advice from Igor Stravinsky's Concerto for Piano and Winds (somehow I have only the second movement at home, and need the first, so might as well have the third as well -- fond memories of peforming the work as English hornist, with Tom Wubbenhorst conducting many years ago in Ogden, UT, of all places... long story...).

Begin instrumentation of S&D: II. Distress (one page) before retiring. For the day...