Close Encounter of the Hillbilly Kind is a comedic portrayal of a young woman waiting for a bus, who meets a Kentucky Hillbilly hell-bent on taking her to the Hilton. The setting is a bus stop on Eastern Parkway in Louisville, Kentucky – a sunny Saturday, 2 p.m. . This pocket opera details an experience I had in September of last year.

Valerie: Jennie Moser, soprano & Thomas: Nicholas Giunta, tenor; Jacob Walls, conductor; Marley Eder, flute/piccolo; Dylan Ward, alto saxophone; Cody Rex, double bass; Travis Wissman, drum set; Yvonne Freckmann, piano

Premiere of my kitchen percussion trio Too Many Cooks… Kelsey Tamayo, Andrea Tafelski, Paul Finckel, percussion

Epitaph for a Darling Lady – Elise Jablow, soprano, and Ya-Ju “Ruby” Chuang, piano

Booth Suite, for wind ensemble, is music based on the play Booth, by Austin Pendelton. This working score was read by the Transylvania Symphonic Band with David Dzubay, conducting, at Brevard Music Center on July 30, 2012.

Brevard Music Center and Institute 2012: I attended as one of 14 composers, studying with Robert Aldridge and David Dzubay.  I completed these four pieces during my six-week residency, attending many concerts and collaborating with my talented colleagues.  An intense and productive experience, I gained experience and made many new friendships here!