Ever since I was a kid, I self-identified as a COMPOSER. Other kids sent off for dolls or kits. I sent songs to the copyright office. My big thrill was to open the mailbox and get that copyright form back, signed and stamped.

Ask me how I got two last-names? Well, officially because I had two fathers – but I took the double-name option when I was 13 because I thought it made me sound more like a composer. Other kids wanted to be president. I wanted to be Rimsky-Korsakov.

So when the Salzburg Philharmonic recorded the first full 3-movement performance of my concerto “Soñando en Español” on March 20th I was thrilled to NOT be there – to be in my studio, totally trusting the artistry of the soloist, harpist Evelyn Huber and the conductor Elisabeth Fuchs.

They were bringing the whole piece alive – including the fiery, show-stopping 3rd movement “Baroque Flamenco” (and if you play the harp join me for a 5-Day Baroque Flamenco challenge)

Not being there – not NEEDING to be there – means I’ve done my job as a composer: I’d safely passed the piece into their hands, to their artistry so it has a life of its own – newly inspired by their lives – a new life separate from mine – yet forever connected.

Big, deep sigh of satisfaction …

And thus begins a 7-year commitment to release the rest of my work so others can perform it without me – all the pieces I’ve composed and premiered for the last 40 years, some with major symphonies, and in theaters, or on recordings — a list of over 70 completed works from concertos to musicals to individual songs and instrumental works.

Do I need help? You bet I do! I need to partner with harp soloists, with ensembles, with a great music lawyer, a copyist – and most importantly: patrons who want to partner with me in funding this work.

So if you’re any of those, let me know, because I need you!

To get a glimpse of what it looks like when it all works, read about the collaboration with Salzburg Philharmonic, Evelyn Huber and Elisabeth Fuchs and check out these video clips they sent me from the concerto rehearsals – click HERE.

And now … it’s for YOUR hands, too!

I LOVE performing and teaching these works – I just love seeing OTHER people do it too. And not just virtuosos like Evelyn Huber, Eleanor Turner and the other incredible harp soloists who perform my work – but I LOVE teaching EVERYONE to play them. Yes – even intrepid non-harpists who love learning the way I teach: from creative blueprints and structures.

Because, to me, these works exist on multiple levels: the professional, virtuosic level you’d see in a concert hall — and the experiential level – where a distilled version of the piece can be played by musicians who want to EXPERIENCE the joy and power of the piece without learning the advanced concert version. Or dancers who interpret it through movement, artists who see the pieces visually.

And THAT’S why I created the 5-Day “Baroque Flamenco” CHALLENGE – you give me 5 days and – if you play the harp (or are willing to enjoy the company of hundreds of harpists) – I’ll show you how to play the BONES of this incredibly fun piece using a BLUEPRINT that lets you cut straight to the experience and spirit of the piece.

Join the Challenge to see what I mean!

I made the 5-Day “Baroque Flamenco” CHALLENGE so any harp player – (and even those intrepid non-harpists) – can learn to play the BONES of this piece from the Blueprint with my step-by-step training.

Read more about the Challenge and why I created it HERE.