September 15, 2026

Today wrapped up a three-week residency for me at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music which included master classes, seminars and rehearsing and performing with CCM’s fabulous Philharmonia.
 
The residency culminated in tonight’s concert. We opened the program with what was only the second performance ever of Jared Miller’s evocative House of Dreams, a work premiered by the Lansing Symphony on my final concert with them last season. Jared was our Composer-in-Residence at the time. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to revisit this work in relatively close succession, finding even more in the work the second time around. I look forward to the third, whenever that might be.
 
CCM hosted a piano concerto competition for the solo spot on the concert. Pianist Ding Zhou was the winner and he delivered and electrifying performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. His future is bright indeed. It was a great pleasure to collaborate with him.
 
We finished the program with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3, which has become my personal favorite of the Rachmaninoff symphonies. The fabulous young musicians of the CCM Philharmonia fully embraced this rather unusual work from the first rehearsal and delivered a powerful and nuanced performance. The depth and expressive scope they brought to this work was quite impressive.
 
Many thanks to Maestro Mark Gibson, CCM’s brilliant Director of Orchestral Studies for the invitation. It was a most enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
 
 
NEXT UP:
 
Flint Symphony Orchestra
Guest artists from Collage Dance Collective
Dancers from Flint School of Performing Arts
The Whiting, Flint Michigan
December 5 at 7:30 p.m. and December 6 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Tchaikovsky                The Nutcracker