Warping the Minds of Tomorrow: Convergence in San Antonio

This past week, I had the pleasure to do three things I love:

1) perform with my Convergence bud, the ridiculously gifted Cameron Beauchamp

2) feature some of my original works, and

3) interact with young, bright and talented emerging composers

Convergence was invited to participate in a week-long new music festival hosted by New York’s Unheard-of//Ensemble, and the event did not disappoint. Meeting a number of new friends, sharing the bill with the brilliantly talented Iva Casián-Lakoš and Ford Fourqurean, and catching up with music buds I’d not seen for too long (I’m looking at you Evan Martin Blaché and Pamela Martinez) was just what the doctor ordered. Cameron and I performed two of my works (2016’s Lemmyophila: Oliver & Lemmy Walk Into a Bar and our recent Tetractys-commission, loup-garou) to a beautifully engaged audience at Tandem San Antonio, and managed to not upset anyone with the former work’s foul language and blasphemic content (oh Mr. Kilmister, you naughty, naughty man… you are dearly missed).

Perhaps the most rewarding moment, however, was when Cam and I were asked to lead a seminar with the festival’s emerging composer participants, and we initiated a conversation about surviving and thriving within the world of indie new music. I enjoyed sharing ideas gleaned from my experience of producing new music events in Austin, while Cam spoke of life on the road — and in the studio — with the Grammy Award-winning Roomful of Teeth. These young creatives were bristling with energy and ideas, and their positivity did my old, jaded heart so very much good.

What an honor to get to breathe all of this fresh, new music air in with so many great humans. Thankful.

7/12/23 update: a festival review/rewind courtesy of Classical Voice North America