Technically, I'm a sax player ... I started playing the saxophone when I was about 12 years old. However, while at East Carolina University I slowly drifted towards Music Composition and received my degree in Electronic Music Composition. Hence the many different styles of the music found above.I started out as an instrumental musician (Sax player) but have since found a home in the choral music community. I am published by Hinshaw Music Inc. along with my composing partner and friend Valerie Showers Crescenz with whom I have been collaborating with since 1999. Although Valerie and I live many hours apart and only see each other once a year (if that), our friendship and collaboration has grown immensely since that time. Our compositions grow from simply talking as friends and discussing such things as poverty, war, prejudice and education. This is why the majority of our compositions are written with positive messages that will hopefully enhance the lives of our children. As we wrote such titles as IN EVERY HUMAN HEART we were reminded each day as to how important the arts are to everyone: students, the community, and our society in general. We believe that emphasis on the arts in education makes for a better future for all. Also, as we composed such titles as SHADES OF GREEN and WISHING WELL we imagined how truly great things could be if everyone were to accept the fact that no two people are the same and that differences should, in fact, be celebrated. If you truly want to make things better, you must look in the mirror … “it must start with you and me.” Not only have we created beautiful melodies but we have also written original text to let everyone know that the world can be a better place. We have been successful in keeping in line with the quote that is used by Hinshaw Music, “Something worth singing — Something worth Singing about!”. Valerie's website is: www.valeriecrescenz.com . To check out more of my choral material ... visit: www.hinshawmusic.com or visit any music dealer that carries sheet music for choral ensembles. EX: www.jwpepper.comIn addition to having multiple choral titles published by Hinshaw Music, I have also written pieces for dance troupes, choral groups (commissions by the PA Music Educators Association for a piece that was performed by the middle school honors chorus during their Song festival. That piece was SHADES OF GREEN. The Durham School of the Arts who commissioned for their Alma Mater. That Alma Mater was reworked into a Choral arrangement and was published by the title of IN EVERY HUMAN HEART), and bands. I am a member of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) www.ascap.com . My choral writings have been selected as Editor's picks by many, many music dealers all over the country. Creator Magazine selected the title: THE EVERLASTING GOD as one the top 20 choral anthems for the year of its release. THERE IS MUSIC was the 2nd titled to be published and sales are very good after almost 8 years. THERE IS MUSIC is a part of School competition repertory list for choral music literature. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Durham Children’s Choir. I guest conduct and, in addition, lecture on such topics as composing, saxophones and the music business, to audiences ranging from Kindergarten through college students.The recordings listed here for the saxophone are all performed by me and was originally recorded back in 1997-98 on magnetic tape in my simple home set-up. Now thanks to Garage band I was able to easily convert them to mp3s. All the tracks are notated and was simply "played back" from the music notation software FINALE through my old faithful (and I do mean old) Korg 01w/fd synth. to accompany myself as I attempted to keep my cheap soprano sax in tune. Yep, I still use the old floppy disk with my korg! :-) The choral material are demonstration recordings from my publisher. The groups that recorded these titles range from the professional group, Chicago a cappella to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to the Durham School of the Arts middle school chamber singers. The other instrumental material was done using FINALE and my korg. The solo vocal material (NOW I CAN FLY and I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVE) were all performed and recorded by my dear friend Elizabeth South. Elizabeth also co-wrote I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVE. To hear more of Elizabeth's music, simply click on the ad on the left or see my friends list ... she's the first one.I'm a Music Copy Editor/Production Manager for two choral music publishing companies, Hinshaw Music and Walton Music. I have worked with composers from all over the world and there are simply too many to name. On average, I work with more than 25 -30 different composers a year between the two publishing houses, but the biggest composer would be the British composer John Rutter. Hinshaw Music is John's American publisher and for Europe, Oxford University Press publishes his material.It has been really great to meet so many new people here on myspace -AND- it has been great to connect up with lots of old friends again via myspace. I love surfing around the different myspace accounts and hearing such wonderful music. I hope that my music can bring something positive to your heart. Check back frequently ... I'll be flipping titles in and out. Oh, BTW, don't forget to check out the tunes listed under my reverb player above.