2024 Compositions

This year’s big project has been the composition for the D.W. Gregory play “Intimate Exposures,” which has been commissioned by Reading Theater Project, and has its world premiere in the Fall of 2024. Set in the 1880s, the music is somewhat melodramatic, but I am trying to also capture the beautiful folk-ish melodies as they are influenced by European opera of the time. This is more of an arranging project, however I do get to compose a few pieces in the aforementioned styles.

Earlier this year I was able to stretch out artistically with Reading Theater Project’s 5-minute Fringe. I composed a piece using the Fibonacci sequence and created text also Fibonacci-related. I will be adding a recording on my videos page.

More recently, in July of 2024, another experimental piece was performed in the beautiful Reading Public Museum Arboretum by six brass musicians. I simply gave each musician the notes I wanted them to play for each of four movements. They could play any rhythm, dynamic, and order they wanted. I was lucky to have excellent musicians with me who ended up making a very interesting piece. Part of the inspiration was wind chimes. I had found a ten-foot piece of copper tubing in the spring, which inspired me to make some wind chimes. I like hearing the random compositions they make so decided to mimic that with the brass group. The piece can also be heard on my videos page.

New Opera

This is my first post since the pandemic. Like many of us, I did not quite know what to do when it all came down. Over a hundred of my scheduled performances were canceled and I was left home wondering where it was all heading.

Thankfully, it was not long before colleagues started reaching out for some composing projects. I did a short film, an online theater experiment, a composition for four basses to be performed outside, and had an outside, socially-distanced visit with pianist friend Lars Potteiger, and Tammy Black, artistic director of Berks Opera Company. This meeting led to a commission which has kept me busy throughout the pandemic. The new opera “These Valleys and Mountains: Berks Legends” will be performed on Friday, June 17, 2022 at the Miller Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania.

These Valleys and Mountains

Mountain Mary left a legacy of loving spirituality and profound healing. Matthias Schaumbacher left the opposite: a legend of greed and violence. How have the seeds planted in the stories of these two people, who lived such different lives, grown in this place we call home?

2020 in Review

I will skip most of the obvious rehashing of this bizarre year and get to my personal highlights.

Touring

I started the year with my usual trip to Florida for some gigs and some comraderie with the Alex Meixner Band. One more short tour, then home for my favorite theater event of the year: Reading Theater Projects 5-minute Fringe Festival. After that, everything changed.

One-by-one, all my gigs disappeared. My calendar went from well over one hundred performances to single digits.

Engraving/Editing

Almost immediately, I received a call from a music publisher who needed thirty concert band arrangements edited in Sibelius (a task for which I am well-suited). It was over a month of work at a time when every phone call or email was a cancellation.

Commissions

Another commission which came in during a busy touring time for me was for Berks Sinfonietta, a wonderful professional orchestra whose imaginative programming compliments its great performances. They asked me to adapt a piece I had written for piano and voice (soprano) to an arrangement for choir and piano. The piece is set to a poem by Louise Bogan. My schedule now allowed me to finish this piece and now eagerly await a time when choirs may resume performing.

During that time, I was fortunate enough to receive another call to compose a jingle for Berks Arts, a local nonprofit which presents the world famous Berks Jazz Fest (which, of course was postponed for at least a year). I was flattered to be asked and grateful both for the work and that they hired locally. We really do have a rich arts community here.

Then, in late November, I received word that a grant proposal submitted by Berks Opera Company for my to compose several short operas on the subject of local historical figures was granted.

Working Musician Podcast

A few weeks ago, musical colleague Dave Pedrick invited me to be on his Working Musician Podcast. I was a little concerned because 1) I don’t talk very much and 2) when I do, I don’t really like talking about myself. Well, Dave really does a great job with his podcast and he really got me talking.

Dave made me remember some really great things from my life in music….teachers, students, bands, concerts, and more. It made me realize I have done a lot of different things in music and have had many great experiences and met so many great and interesting people. Maybe I will start writing more about these things before I forget them.

Working Musician Podcast; Episode 066 Chris Heslop

 

Polka, Theatre, & Film

Polka Tours

I am back the road again with the Alex Meixner Band. Last week we were in Helen Georgia and are currently in southeast Texas doing some Fasching gigs. It’s great to be back with the band after a few weeks home. We had a rehearsal yesterday at Joe Trevino’s studio in San Antonio. Great guy to work with! We added a few new tunes to the repertoire.

Theatre

A few weeks ago I decided to write a piece for Reading Theater Project’s “5-Minute Fringe” based on the writings of George Washington. It is titled “George Washington’s Greatest Hits,” and will be performed by Vicki Haller Graff, with me on piano and washboard.

Film

Sue Lange and Andrew Pochan are at it again! We are shooting a pilot for what I think is called “The Dust Nuggets.” Stay tuned for more info on this.  After the shoot I will be able to compose the score.