Trip to Los Angeles -- for Triple Flute Concerto and Juilliard friend

Joe (on left in above photo) travelled to Los Angeles to attend the west coast premiere performance of his Triple Flute Concerto by the La Mirada Symphony (south of LA) on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

While on the west coast Joe visited with Yale alum friend Alan Rickmeier (bassist in the San Diego Symphony), Juilliard alum friend Andre Briere who plays Principal Bass with the La Mirada Symphony and long lost Juilliard friend Nathaniel Ayers (on right in above photo). Joe also visited with author/journalist Steve Lopez.

Steve Lopez has written a wonderful book about Nathaniel Ayers, "The Soloist" and DreamWorks is producing a movie based on Lopez's book about Nathaniel's life. The book is now available and the movie will be in theaters by the end of April 2009.  To view a current (July 2009) LA Times article about Nathaniel click here. To view the video of Nathaniel's speech at San Franscisco's NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) conference in July 2009 click here. If you would like to hear Nathaniel play some trumpet and cello click here.

Above are some photos: The first photo is of the actors in the movie "The Soloist" - Jamie Fox and Robert Downey Jr with Joe, Nathaniel and Adam Crane (formerly with the LA Philharmonic administration). The second photo is that of Joe, Steve Lopez and Nathaniel. And the third is of Joe and Nathaniel -- meeting after over 30 years at the October 20, 2007 performance of Joe's Triple Flute Concerto in La Mirada, California.

West Coast Premiere of Triple Flute Concerto

On Saturday night October 20, 2007 solo flutists Laura Scott, Brad Cain and Joan Cain (from left to right in above photo) and The La Mirada Symphony performed Joe's Triple Flute Concerto in La Mirada, California. Joe attended this excellent and well received performance of his work.

To hear excerpts of the world premiere performance of this work (back in 2001) you may click here.

New Work - Septet "Distant Light" given first performance

On April 29, 2007 the Fontenay Chamber Players gave the world premiere performance of Joe's Septet "Distant Light" for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet at the Christ Church Parish in Redding Ridge, Connecticut. The work was commissioned by the Fontenay Chamber Players. This tonal work is twenty five minutes long and in three movements. Excerpts of this work can be heard by clicking here. 

Please note that after the premiere of this work Joe rewrote the third movement (originally marked "Theme & Variations") shortening it from 16 minutes to 11 minutes (and renaming it "Variations"). The original third movement (the one you hear by "clicking here" above) is now a stand alone work called "Theme & Variations for Septet" running the original 16 minutes.

Russo String Bass Quartet performed at Mensch Memorial

On Monday evening, January 29, 2007 Joe's bass quartet arrangement of his a capella motet "Psalm 23" (The Lord is My Shepherd) was performed at the Homer Mensch Memorial Concert at The Juilliard School. Joe and Eric Harris were two of the four bassists performing the new work. This Homer Mensch Memorial Concert was organized by bassist Kurt Muroki and included many of Mr. Mensch's students both performing and in the audience. Juilliard President Joseph Polisi spoke about his personal friendship with both Connie and Homer Mensch.