Sitting here at my gate — waiting for my flight to board — I have been afforded the opportunity (thanks to an American Airlines flight delay) to reflect a bit on some recent and upcoming performances.

I am excited to be headed to St. Louis to play principal trumpet with the St. Louis Symphony this week. And with Wagner’s “Parsifal” and “Harmonium” by John Adams on the docket, there is certainly plenty of playing to be done. If you don’t know Harmonium, be sure to check it out. It’s a wonderful piece.

The airport has been a familiar place for me lately, given that I just returned a couple of days ago from giving a recital and master class at the Trumpet Festival of the Southeast. Brandon Craswell, at the University of Georgia, did a wonderful job hosting this festival, and it was a success in every way. As for me, I really enjoyed playing the recital, which featured a program of pieces that I had never performed before. Given the feedback I received, the program seemed to be a success, and I’m looking forward to repeating it in the near future. One piece I don’t know if I’ll get to repeat soon, though, is the Yves Chardon Sonata for Trumpet in D and Violoncello. I was very lucky that my dear friend (and Atlanta Symphony cellist) Jen Humphreys had the night off and was willing to make the trek out to Athens, Georgia to play at a trumpet festival (of all things)! I had a fantastic time playing this piece and the audience seemed to enjoy it a great deal. If you get the chance to program it, I highly recommend it.

For now, though, I think it is time that this delay comes to an end. I have enjoyed writing, but I think it is relatively important that I actually make it to St. Louis for rehearsal tomorrow. Fingers crossed…