Recording Project and Post-DMA Reflection

(Photo: Allez Photography)

Back in the beginning of June I had the good fortune to record several works for percussion ensemble and euphonium. Dr. Nathan Daughtrey and Dr. Brian Meixner (euphonium) had been working on some duet literature and Brian received a grant to record and concertize a program of chamber works. When Nathan asked me to take part in the recording, I was thrilled to accept! Over four days we rehearsed and recorded four works:

Coming Home - Nathan Daughtrey (originally for piano and euphonium)
Praxis - Fernando Deddos, written for Brian in 2013
Ethereal Wave - Stephen Barr, written for Brian in 2009
Concerto for Euphonium and Percussion Quintet - Daniel Adams, written for Brian in 2010

These are premiere recordings except for the Adams (which is only available in Europe, I believe), so I hope we did them justice! Stephen Barr joined us for the session to conduct the ensemble – I may have cursed him once or twice for some of the trickier moments in the xlyo/bells/djembe/triangle/anvil part I had the "good fortune" to play. The ensemble included three other local percussionists: Dr. Danny Frye (faculty member at High Point University), Corey Denham (masters student at UNCSA), and Justin Bunting (DMA student at UNCG). 

Setup for Fernando Deddos' Praxis

I had a great time with this project. The CD will be released in mid-September and I am looking forward to hearing the finished product. 

This was my first project since completing my DMA in May. It is an odd feeling upon finishing school to think about what comes next. I've spent so many years with preconceptions about what my future would bring, and now, well I am not so sure. I think – I hope  – that feeling is natural, to be slightly off-balance, as the once most occupying force in my life (the institution of education) is now no longer there to dictate what I do. I have also had experiences and opportunities that have reshaped my long-held beliefs of "this is my path." It excites and, honestly, frightens me to have arrived at this point toward which I have long struggled only to find my path has many more branches than I ever anticipated. Professional decisions also intertwine with the personal. As if trying to decide where to take one's career isn't enough, then we have everything in our personal lives to contend with as well.

I know I am fortunate to have gotten to where I am due to the friendship and support of some wonderful people over the years. New people come into your life, others go, but all impart something into your being (whether positive things to build upon or negative ones you learn to avoid yourself). I know this is likely all cliché, but there still remains merit in remembering the influence others have upon yourself. I am only now realizing the difficulty lies in not letting these influences dictate your life but stay only as suggestions. In our struggle to find a place in the world, we often conform to what others perceive us to be... I hope that I may soon find what I want to be.