It’s been a busy 2016 with lots of new projects started and on the horizon.  In the middle of many great new opportunities, I moved into a new house this summer! I’ve got a great new work room where I’m creating music and coming up with new ideas for future collaborations.  I also started my own yoga business Bloom Yoga this past spring and have been teaching private, corporate, and prenatal yoga across Long Beach.  I’m a big fan of combining yoga with a healthy lifestyle of being a musician, and I am developing a series of “yoga for musicians” sequences and programs to support my fellow musicians. More details to come on that, but I’ll be available to come to your music program soon to offer this program (no yoga experience required!).

I wanted to give an update on my current projects and what I’m looking forward to this spring and summer.  I’ll be heading to Flower Mound High School in April for the premiere of my work All That You Need is You for SATB choir.  This is the inaugural year of this choir under the direction of Lindsay Swartwood (who was one of the directors who premiered my work Breakable for SA choir and piano last year – now available through Graphite Publishing). The poetry comes from Carisa Kozicki, the winner of my poetry contest for this new work.  The kids are loving the inspired text and I can’t wait to hear them soon!

I’m finishing up a new work for bassoon and cello inspired by the tide pools of Southern California. Commissioned by my dear friend bassoonist Christin Webb (of Ceora Winds – they recorded my work Spider Suite on their debut album “Postcards”.)  This work will be premiered at the Laguna Museum of Art in late April.

I’m also working on a new piece for bassoon, didgeridoo, and tablas (yep, you heard that right!) for a premiere during the 2017 IDRS conference at Lawrence University.  Commissioned by Carl Rath, this work promises to be unique and fun! I’ll be at IDRS this summer and look forward to catching up with all my double reed friends.

A little later this spring I’ll start work on a piece for my dear friend clarinetist Libby Crawford and her viola collegue Katrin Meidell.  I’m excited to explore the colors and stories that this duo of instruments will tell.

There are some other fun projects in the works, but I’ll save those for next month.  In the meantime – I’m available for Skype composition sessions!  Whether you want to go over a work that you’re writing now, or need some feedback on a project, let’s connect!  Contact me for more details, and we can have some composition lessons via Skype!

I hope you all have a wonderfully productive and great start to your 2017!  Happy New Year!

Jenni