Orchestrations for Latvia

Well, the last 10 days have been sheer madness as I have just completed writing 50 minutes of music for jazz trio and symphony orchestra, something of a record in speed of output! I have arranged four ballads from the Great American Songbook and will perform this new piece on Tuesday evening March 8 in Latvia with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Imants Resnis and a jazz trio consisting of myself, internationally-acclaimed Swedish bassist/composer Lars Danielsson and Latvian drummer Maris Briezkalns. All this is to take place at the at the XIIIth International Piano Stars Festival, the major classical music festival in the Baltic States which also always features a night of jazz and orchestra. I still have to prepare the orchestral parts which will leave here by email just before I step on the plane on Thursday.

Lecturing

This semester I will be giving a few guest lectures at Sydney University Music Department on the topic of jazz harmony. It will be an interesting feeling, since I began as a student in the same department (housed in the same building) precisely 30 years ago.

Adelaide recital

Media release for my recital March 20 in Adelaide (just after my return from Latvia).

Latvia

On March 3 I leave Sydney to travel to Latvia where I have been invited to perform in the XIIIth International Piano Stars Festival in Liepaja, a festival featuring classical pianists from all over the world that always has one night of jazz with an international jazz pianist. I am very happy to be featuring this year and will perform with jazz trio plus the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra (I will be writing some orchestral arrangements especially for the event). Liepaja is a large coastal town 200km from the capital Riga where I performed last July. After the March trip to Latvia I will be following it with a larger tour in May, to Romania to perform in International Music Festival Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest, to Istanbul, Turkey for a 2-night season at one of the major jazz clubs there and to New York, London and Korea where I am currently finalising performances.