One of the hardest events in a project is actually starting (another is ending, but we'll cover that later…at the end), and this is no different. So I suppose I should start at the beginning of this entire thing.
About a month and a half ago I received an email from Dr. Marc Jensen, chair of the Oklahoma Composers Association, notifying me of the OCA's newly-formed Composer Residency program. I was immediately interested in the program, and submitted a copy of my freshly-composed Pipe Dreams for consideration. I received an email from Dr. Jensen a week ago informing me that I had been chosen to work with the Norman High School percussion ensemble.
The following Monday I met with Josh Knight, the director, where we discussed the layout of the new work, the instrumentation, the overall feel of the work, and most importantly, the deadline.
So this is how things started. And this is the beginning of the story of a composition not-yet-named.
