Hey folks, 2013 is fast approaching and I have a couple of cool items to note. For starters, my new year will be kicked off with myself hunched over some staff paper as I continue work on the music for Ornery Theatre‘s puppet play Cthulhu: A Puppet Play. Opening night is on Valentine’s Day, and what better way to say “I love you” than taking your date to a show about an Apocalyptic, people eating monster? Chocolates and roses are so 2012. I’m doubly excited about this play, not just because the story is great and I get to write for puppet theater, but also because I’m writing the music for Luke Hubley and myself (you may have heard of us…we sometimes go by LIMINAL SPACE!). The show is going to run until the 17th at 14 Pews in Houston. Check it out when it comes, it’ll be a blast for sure!
The news and info is just starting to make its way to me on this, but in March, San Antonio’s SOLI Chamber Ensemble will be performing my trio piece Shifting Landscape. I’m beyond excited about this one. SOLI gave the first read of another piece of mine called Tendril back in 2011, as part of a short group of master classes at the University of Houston. I was honored then and am now completely floored that they are playing my music. Considering some of the pieces that they have programmed, I am humbled to have this opportunity. The performances will be on March 25th and 26th. Do expect more information about this!
Also in the works, I am completing (at a stupidly slow pace) a song cycle for Soprano Misha Penton. I started this thing way back in the Spring of 2012. It is scored for Soprano, electric guitar, and cello. Misha wrote the text, which is a short series of five poems loosely based on images and moments from fairy tales. Her writing is incredibly colorful, filled with vivid imagery, and flows very naturally into musical settings. When I finish the damn thing I’ll write more about it. Hell, maybe one day it’ll be performed and recorded!
My compositional activities have slowed a bit over the past six months. This wasn’t so much on purpose as it was out of necessity for some other cool life things. As it turns out, forming your own new-music ensemble is a bit more time consuming than I had originally expected. Liminal Space is getting off the ground and we’ve had two really successful programs already, the last of which actually received a favorable review! Continuing in 2013, we are putting together plans for a concert in late March of music by David Lang. Also, we are looking at one final concert in May featuring some brand new music written for us by some excellent composer friends! As per usual, stay tuned for more on that.
Happy New Year, folks! Let’s all make it a good one!
P.S. I have uploaded selections from ReGifting Lions. You can hear it on this site, here, or on my soundcloud page.
George Heathco 