Eastman Wind Ensemble: Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Here is a clip of the Eastman Wind Ensemble performing Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor live at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. This hall is one of the best I've ever played in and I'm sure they were loving it.

Enjoy!

The Eastman Wind Ensemble at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall

Brian Balmages: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is a recording of one of my wife's favorite pieces for band, "Moscow, 1941" by Brian Balmages. She has done this piece frequently as a guest conductor and I love hearing it every single time.

Brian is an incredibly versatile composer who has written for everything from beginning band to top professional ensembles. During the 25th anniversary season of Boston Brass, we commissioned him to write us a piece and he wrote a wonderful three movement work that has since been performed by the likes of the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet and others.

Enjoy!

Time of war in Moscow, Russia! The Germans have invaded and are trying to seize the city! Can the forces of Russia's Red Army defend Moscow from Hitler's German Army? Can the Red Army withstand the offense of the Germans? Only one way to find out... in the Battle of Moscow!

UT Wind Ensemble Performing John Mackey: Monday YouTube Fix

Here is the University of Texas Wind Ensemble under the direction of Jerry Junkin performing John Mackey's "Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band".

This is a live performance from 2/12/14 at Bates Recital Hall in Austin, TX.

John Mackey is one of my favorite composers writing music today. This piece is awesome.

Enjoy!

Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band by John Mackey The University of Texas Wind Ensemble Jerry F. Junkin, conductor Live in Bates Recital Hall - Austin, Texas February 12, 2014 Published with the permission of the composer. This video may not be republished, excerpted, or otherwise publicly redistributed without permission.

Insights on Playing from Mallory Thompson

"I think that….wherever you are in your career, it’s all the same…you’re working on the same things…making good attacks, making good releases, playing musically, showing a wide dynamic range, and not taking anything musical for granted."

-Dr. Mallory Thompson (Director of Bands at Northwestern University)

Dr. Thompson is probably the best conductor I've ever played for in my career. I had the privilege of being in her first band at Northwestern on the heels of being in John Paynter's last band there.

The beauty of her as an educator is that she demands the exact same things of everyone in front of her, like the list above.

Pleasing a set of ears like Mallory Thompson's is not complicated. It's just a lot of work long before you sit down in front of her.

Frederick Fennell with the US Navy Band: Monday YouTube Fix

A small portion of this video of Lincolnshire Posy made the rounds on Facebook a couple of weeks ago but the whole thing is even better.  Frederick Fennell is of course one of the greatest band conductors of all time.  The amount of information he is communicating to the US Navy Band in this clip is stunning.  His stick, his facial expressions, his shoulders, his hands, everything.

This clip is a master class for all conductors on how to convey a clear idea of how you want a piece to go to an ensemble.

Enjoy!

0:00 Lisbon 1:33 Horkstow Grange 4:14 Rufford Park Poachers 7:58 The Brisk Young Sailor 9:29 Lord Melbourne 12:28 Lost Lady Found From the two-disc "Lincolnshire Posy" educational DVD set, released in 2011.