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Newsletter April 2002 My USA trip was quite a success, and enjoyable. The most significant event was the world premiere of Songs Without Words in Reno on the last day, but I also had wonderful weeks in Seattle and California. Good to be home, nevertheless!

The first concert was a high school honor band in Oxnard, in which I did a few little pieces of mine in between Holst's Second Suite and the Mark Rogers arrangement of The Moldau. The students reached their peak at the right time, and there were many comments that this was one of the best honor bands for this event.

Then I spent some time at Long Beach and did some work on my second Folksong Suite with the University band there. In Seattle I conducted the compositions of mine that were included in a concert with the three University Of Washington bands. The third movement of my third Folksong Suite went the best that I had conducted, and the excellent performances of Endpiece and Grand Fanfare (in which we had 24 extra trumpets) were the first I had conducted of those works.

During five days in San Antonio I was able to fix a few things with existing and new publications at Southern Music. I also received helpful advice on the Finale computer program from Tommy Fry and Mark Rogers.

In Reno I was delighted to find two of my popular pieces included in other concerts. The performance of Songs Without Words went very well, and there were many positive comments about its future as a major work for this combination. I was very lucky to have the outstanding Arizona State University saxophone quartet as soloists. A big thank you to Tim Salzman and the many other consortium members who commissioned the piece.

Above all my grateful thanks to my hosts and their generous hospitality:

Mike and Karen Doty (Oxnard)
Larry and Linda Curtis (and Laura!)
John and Deborah Carnahan (Long Beach)
Tim and Jodi Salzman (Seattle)
Arthur Gurwitz and Mark Rogers (San Antonio) Mack McGrannahan (Reno)