Archives 2012-2013
Posted on February 6, 2015
September 29, 2013
Personal and Professional News!!
First, in August 2013, I was hired as the new Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Charleston Southern University in Charleston, South Carolina! After working hourly positions for two academic years and freelancing as a composer and performer, it is such a great thing to be back teaching again! I currently teach all the Musicianship classes, which include both Music Theory and Aural Skills in a 4 semester sequence.
Second, on September 17 my wife, Johanna, gave birth to our first child! Silas Henry Pressley, our sweet baby boy was born weighing in at a whopping 10lbs. 1.8 oz.! He is such a delight to us and we are ecstatic about this new addition to our family!
Yes, my wife and I will be moving (again!) to Charleston from the house we just designed and had built last year after only living in it for one year. But, such is life. We are very pleased about both of these new developments as we have been eagerly awaiting our little one as well as anticipating the new move and all that is in store for us all in Charleston.
Composition News:
Much has happened on this front since I last posted as well!
I have an upcoming premiere in Greece! I was just notified that my piece ankáthi (flute, ‘cello, ‘bass) was a winner in the dissonArt ensemble’s Collaborative Miniature Project Call for Scores and will be performed on October 14 at the 48th Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece!
I also have an upcoming premiere in Australia! My piece, Patina, for solo glockenspiel was a winner of the Campbelltown Arts Centre Call for Scores for Solo Percussionist and will be premiered there in Campbelltown, Australia, by Claire Edwardes on November 10!
Christ the King, for choir and organ, was commissioned by Christ the King Lutheran Church in Columbia, SC, to commemorate their 50th anniversary as a church, and will be premiered at the church with me conducting during their Sunday service on December 1 this year.
My work Psalm 119:41-48 (cor anglais) was a winning work in the 2013 London New Wind Festival Call for Scores and given its world premiere in London by Catherine Pluygers at St. Cyprian’s Church on September 20.
I again performed my Five Brushstrokes for solo guitar at the Faculty Showcase Concert at Lightsey Chapel Auditorium at Charleston Southern University on August 29.
On June 3, I gave a performance for solo guitar opening for Greg Stuart from the University of South Carolina and our good friends Jeff Young and Paul Pinto from thingNY at the Conundrum Music Hall in Columbia, South Carolina. As part of my set, I premiered my own Five Brushstrokes for solo guitar, and Johanna joined me for the premiere of Lekythos for guitar and viola. Both were very well received by the audience!
I had my first Austrian premiere! Three Haiku (flute, Bb Clarinet, violin, ‘cello) was a winning work in the Ensemble Platypus 2013 Call for Scores and premiered by them at the “… im Banne des Unbekannten VI” concert at Echoraum in Vienna, Austria on May 25.
Anne Goldberg premiered my work, Hinaufziehen, for solo english horn at Jan Hus Church in NYC on March 10 as part of the Vox Novus 15 Minutes of Fame for Solo Oboe Concert.
Three Haiku (flute, Bb Clarinet, violin, ‘cello) was performed at the 2013 SCI National Conference at Ohio State University on February 15. Johanna and I were able to attend this performance and enjoyed the conference concerts very much!
Maria Carolina Cavalcanti gave the American premiere of my piece, Aspiration, for solo piccolo at Jan Hus Church in NYC on February 10 as part of the Vox Novus 15 Minutes of Fame for Solo Flutes Concert.
January 26 2013 News:
Happy New Year!! Finally we are all moved into our brand new house that just 10 months ago was a wooded lot. Now I can update you on what has been happening since I posted last July.
Upcoming events:
Maria Carolina Cavalcanti will again play my solo piccolo piece, Aspiration, this time at Jan Hus Church in NYC on February 10.
My chamber piece, Three Haiku (flute, Bb clarinet, violin, ‘cello), was a winner in the SCI National Conference Call for Scores and will be performed again next month at the Society of Composers National Conference at Ohio State University on February 15. Johanna and I will be in attendance; if you happen to be there, please come and say “Hello.”
My piece, Hinaufziehen, for english horn was a winner in the Vox Novus 15 Minutes of Fame Call for Scores for english horn and will be premiered by Anne Goldberg in NYC at Jan Hus Church on March 10.
Recent performances:
thingNY premiered my Three Fragments (Bb clarinet, soprano saxophone, violin, and contrabass) at their Spam v.3.0 Concert in NYC on December 15, 2012 at Flushing Town Hall. They will be posting video clips soon.
Alyssa Reit again performed Ephemera for solo harp at Jan Hus Church in NYC on November 11. It was one of the winners in the 2011 Vox Novus Call for Scores for solo harp.
I had my first performance ever in Brazil!! Maria Carolina Cavalcanti premiered my solo piccolo piece, Aspiration, on October 7 in Rio de Janeiro. The piece was a winner in the 2012 Vox Novus 15 Minutes of Fame Call for Scores for solo flutes.
I will post more recordings soon!
July 8, 2012 News:
Personal News: Wow!! It has been too long since I last wrote!! Much has happened! After living in Asheville, North Carolina for seven months, in December, Johanna and I decided to move to Columbia, South Carolina to be in the same city as her family — a simple decision that led to a lot of crazy activity! Johanna put in for a transfer with her work on December 23 only to have them ask that she be in Columbia to start on January 2! Yes, we packed and moved in a week. This meant I also had to find a new job (hourly for now). So, we now live in South Carolina and have decided to build a new house and put down serious roots! This process began shortly after our arrival here and all the decision making (and work) has kept me from updating this site until now. The house is moving along nicely (we are up to drywall on the walls) and we expect to be in by the end of September.
Composition News:
The delayed premiere of Exaleípsas for flute and marimba — a winner in the Vox Novus Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame Call for Scores — took place on May 11 at Fort Washington Collegiate Church in New York City performed by Laura Jordan and Sarah Carrier to whom the work is dedicated!
Dr. Duane Bierman premiered my work for solo glockenspiel, Patina, at the University of Nebraska Kearney New Music Festival on February 7! (The recording of this will be posted on the Listen page soon!)
Since I last posted, Kenji Haba performed my piece, Sussuration, for solo guitar along with the other Vox Novus 15 Minutes of Fame guitar pieces two more times! The next performance was at Goins Recital Hall at Tennessee State University in Nashville on July 23, 2011, and then again at Jan Hus Church in New York City on October 9, 2011. PLUS: Mr. Haba has sent along both video and audio performances of the piece that I will post soon on the Listen page as well!
On October 20, Johanna and I attended the premiere of Seven Haiku for Wind Quintet by the Moran Quintet at the 2011 College Music Society National Conference in Richmond. They did a truly excellent job!! I also have a video performance that I will post in the near future. They performed the piece again at their faculty recital at the University of Nebraska Lincoln on December 5!!