GalleryProject:
Growing up in the D.C. area, I was pretty fortunate to be able to hear a lot of live music – everything from rock to jazz to country, to the amazing National Symphony Orchestra, which I heard countless times. To me, the NSO was as good as it got.
So imagine my surprise when I recently got a call from the NSO, asking if they could perform one of my compositions (“Our Wings Have Caught The Wind”) at their Labor Day concert. To say I was honored was an understatement.
The concert was held on September 3 on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The NSO also performed works by some other up and coming composers (Duke Ellington, Brahms, and John Williams). 😉
P.S. If you’re interested, you can watch a video of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra performing this piece last year.
GalleryProject: "Their Finest Hour" - NBC Olympics
NBC’s “Their Finest Hour”, Olympic Prime-Time Broadcast
The Wall Street Journal calls this film “NBC’s finest hour of Olympic Programming”. Broadcast during primetime during the Olympic broadcast, Tom Brokaw Explores Britain’s World War II Resolve in the one-hour film entitled “Their Finest Hour”. The score was recorded using live orchestra and ethnic instruments.
View the film HERE.
“Heroes”
“Rise of the Nazi Machine”
“Hope”
“More Than A Stiff Upper Lip”
“Conventry In Ruins”
“Pilots Finest Hour”
“Epilog”
GalleryFreedom Of Expression
Project:
Free Expression Music Montage
Night Struggle
Muslim Mosque
At The Temple
Closing Theme Excerpt
GalleryProject: "Bonhoeffer" - PBS
“Bonnhoeffer” – PBS Special
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German theologian who offered one of the first clear voices of resistance to Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer openly challenged his church to stand with the Jews in their time of need and eventually joined a plot to kill Hitler. Extensive research in the U.S. and Europe brings to life this amazing story of moral courage. Extraordinary archival footage is interwoven with interviews with friends, family and students of Bonhoeffer, with historians and theologians, and the the words of Bonhoeffer himself, read by Klas Maria Brandauer. Winner of the Gabriel Award.
Watch the Film HERE.
“Waiting for Her”
“On the March”
“Everything Gone but Hope”
GalleryProject:
There are countless tragic stories associated with the Holocaust; “A Pocketful of Miracles” is a new documentary about a small ray of hope that shone through this unbelievably dark time. The film tells a story of a young brother and sister separated in the concentration camps, barely surviving, their tearful reunion after the war, and the incredible and unselfish lives that they built in the following years.
I was honored to be asked to compose the music for this amazing film. You can hear samples from the score, below. “A Pocketful of Miracles” has already premiered at the DC Jewish Film and Music Festival. Go to the film’s website for more information on the film and showings.
Music Montage from the Film Score
“The Dance”
“Night Escape”
“Closing Theme”
Train
Project:
You may know that a “concerto” is a piece of orchestral music that usually features a single instrument. Concertos have been written for violins, pianos, oboes, etc. But I stumbled across an instrument for which a concerto had never been written, and I decided to address this horrible injustice.
So, I’m proud to present to you my new symphonic concerto, featuring the noble, stately, too often forgotten – toy train whistle. Yep, I’m not kidding. You know that little wooden box that makes a silly sound when you blow into it? That’s what we’re talking here. 😉
I actually composed it to help introduce young children to the sound of an orchestra, and you can hear this short piece by clicking here (performed in by the Budapest Symphony).
Enjoy, and as always, if I can help you with music for a project, just let me know!
GalleryProject:
“We Hold These Truths” – PBS
It’s pretty clear that the U.S. is undergoing political upheaval that may be unprecedented. And so it might be the perfect time to revisit our country’s Declaration of Independence, which is not only one of our most crucial documents, but also inspired over 100 nations seeking their independence.
“We Hold These Truths” is a new PBS documentary that takes a look at our declaration and how it affects (or should effect) today’s turmoil.
I was honored to compose the music for this film not only because of its timely content, but because it gave me the chance to compose in a number of different styles. You can hear short samples from the score (below). Enjoy!
Watch the Film HERE.
Film Score Montage:
“Naw’leans” excerpt:
“Hong Kong” excerpt:
“Guillotine” excerpt:
“Ho Chi Minh” excerpt:
“Miami” excerpt:
“Walking The Streets” excerpt:
GalleryProject:
Producing for Blues Legend Keb’ Mo’ for the Grammy Museum
I recently had the honor of arranging/producing a song for blues legend Keb’ Mo’, for a new exhibit that will be opening at the Grammy Museum this fall.
Keb’ Mo’ wrote a simple 12-bar blues song, called “Wrote You A Letter”. I then took his vocal track, and added three live drum tracks, several electric and acoustic bass parts, electric pianos, acoustic pianos, organs, tons of guitar tracks, and even harmonicas.
Why so many parts? Glad you asked! 😉 The idea here is that visitors to the museum will be able to go into a booth where they can create their own arrangement of the song from all the tracks we recorded. They can choose from various drum styles, bass parts… you get the idea. The number of mixing and arranging possibilities are virtually endless.
Below is a sample mix of the song. Think you can do better? Head to the Grammy Museum, and see what you can do!
Sample Mix of Keb’ Mo’ Song “Wrote You A Letter”
Project: Hilton Head
CBS TV Spot for Masters Tournament – “Hilton Head”
Dramatic theme for Hilton Head/CBS for the Masters Golf Tournament
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Music Track Only:
GalleryProject:
Ken Burns “The Roosevelts” Series – TV Trailers
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For 30 years, Ken Burns has found the Roosevelt family “irresistible”. Now, Burns shines a spotlight on the family itself in “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” a 14-hour film debuted Sept. 14 on PBS, and ran for seven consecutive nights.
Although Burns usually uses historical music for his projects, I was honored to be asked to create the original music theme for the Roosevelt series trailer. It was a bit tricky composing music that was intended to be “powerful and energetic”, yet without a melody or any musical element that would interfere with the narrator (Peter Coyote). PBS was very pleased with the final music score, recorded with live strings, french horns, etc.
Here is the Music Track only, without that pesky narrator (Peter Coyote) in the way… 😉
GalleryProject: Autism Is A World
“Autism Is A World” – Academy Award Nominee
Sue had autism. She was diagnosed and treated and mentally retarded until the age of 13 when she began to communicate using a keyboard. This Academy Award nominated documentary, co-produced with CNN Productions, takes the viewer on a journey into her mind, into her incredible world, and her obsessions. Created by Academy Award wining producer & director Gerardine Wurzburg.
Watch the film HERE
“Lonliness”
“One More Day”
“Evening With Sue”
GalleryProject:
Now in its fourth season “Murder In The Heartland” (Investigation Discovery), each episode documents a town and its people through a murder that tore through it. Below are samples of some of music cues I supplied for this series. Some cues were created just for this series, and other cues were taken from my library of cues done for other shows. The goal here was to provide music quickly and inexpensively for this series. Enjoy!
Montage of Different Cues
“Dark Suspense”
“Indian Badlands”
“Night”
“Not Again”
“He Should Have Been Here By Now”
“How Can This Be Real”