Appar­ently it is the season of new orches­tral music. Tonight I’m return­ing to my old stomping grounds, New Haven, to hear what the second-year MM students have come up with for the annual New Music New Haven vs. Phil­har­mo­nia smack­down. Expec­ta­tions are running high. You can listen to the live stream here.

Friday Thursday night, the New York Phil­har­monic inau­gu­rates its new music series, CONTACT! (yes, you have to write it that way). And it’s conve­niently at Sympho­ny­Space, right in my neigh­bor­hood. I haven’t heard any of the composers on the program except for Dalbavie. All the more reason to check it out. I’ll probably write little reac­tions to both of these concerts; stay peeled/keep your eyes tuned.

The cap it all off, I’m in the final throes of writing an orches­tra piece, the last one for a little while (I hope. Writing for orches­tra is slow and exhaust­ing). This partic­u­lar piece is a concerto for violinist/violist Owen Dalby and the Albany Symphony, so, top-notch all around. It will be premièred in March.