One of my favorite parts about this blog is sharing crazy musical things I come across. This is something I have never heard of before: Hang Drums. It sounds like a softer, more mellow steel drum, but it looks like it is made of the top of a BBQ, and played with hands. I think it's beautiful!

I was offered a spot to play with the Old Capital Brass Quintet for two commencement gigs today. We actually were able to play some pretty good literature. Good stuff. Here is a picture to remember it by:



From left to right: Jonathan Allen, Phillip Runkel, Zachary Morton, Melissa Brobston, Joshua Thompson.

This is just wrong...... Twelve-year-old Peter Moore has won the 30th annual BBC Young Musicians Award with this performance of the Henri Tomasi Concerto. On the one hand I want to shout out with joy, on the other hand I want to sink into a month long depression...just kidding. This kid is amazing; I look forward to hearing things from him in the future!

In an effort to streamline the blog, I have added it to a FeedBurner service. This will increase the speed an efficiency for the three of you that might be reading this blog! At any rate, I am learning about new services.

Check out the new feed at FeedBurner.

Today was the last day of classes for the spring semester. Things went down in a pretty crazy way for the past month. Many assignments, projects, and papers came and went. I am happy about the "went" part!!

Coming up:

The International Trombone Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah hosted by Dr. Donn Schaefer and the University of Utah. It's going to be awesome! I am most excited to hear Jim Markey and Ko-Ichiro Yamamoto. I have yet to hear either of them live, so this is going to be an exciting time!

After getting back from Salt Lake, I will be teaching at the University of Iowa Arts Share camp for two weeks. I am excited to work with the young children and help them develop an interest and love of music!

We are having a beautiful spring here in Iowa! I was walking to school the other day and took this picture with my phone - it's actually a pretty good picture for a phone! This is a better view of the placement of Voxman Music Building next to the Iowa River.

Enjoy!!

The Danish Trombone Quartet plays J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D-minor. I love me some Jesper Juul Sorensen!!

Check out their website here. Unfortunately, there is no English version of the site.

This was taken on the path just east of the Voxman Music Building on the University of Iowa campus. It is wonderful to have so many colors surrounding us!

Jörgen van Rijen's website states that his new album, Sackbutt, was to be released last week. I am very excited for it because he plays some of the Classic period concerti, such as the Albrechtsberger and Wagenseil, on baroque trombone with a small chamber ensemble. It's going to be awesome. I just wish it were available now!

Update: The CD is now available from Channel Classics, but with the USD to Euro exchange rate, it is about $40. That is not in my budget right now. I would certainly take donations to get this in my collection though!!! Just kidding. I am going to see if the University will order it.

Check out the Editions BIM website right next to the Apple Store online. See a similarity?

Jörgen van Rijen is releasing two albums this year! One is entitled Sackbutt and the other is called I Was Like Wow (title taken from the name of the new Jacob ter Veldhuis composition). I am very, very excited for these recording projects!

Catch a preview of I Was Like Wow: