“Stick Season” - In residence at the University of Maryland (2024)

“Stick Season” (2024)

In residence at the University of Maryland

Sunday, March 10th - Wednesday, March 13th, 2024

At The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, recording session at Dekelboum Concert Hall in Silver Spring, MD

A week-long residency at the University of Maryland centering around the production of a new immersion for cello and orchestra, “Stick Season.” During his time on campus, Clay worked with over forty students to explore new ways of producing and presenting orchestral music. Organized by cellist Wesley Hornpetrie.

View highlights from our performance of “Stick Season”

In residence, I led two workshops demonstrating how to play a “regenerative immersion,” culminating in a performance of the new work. The project was led and piece commissioned by cellist Wesley Hornpetrie as part of her doctoral thesis.

I stopped by the composition department’s seminar to give a lecture outlining the values behind the “Regenerate!” project, exploring the “default settings” of contemporary classical music and how we as composers can transcend them through our programming choices. The lecture also touched on the history of the Regenerate Orchestra of Michigan, and how to write and notate music for a “regenerative immersion.”

Wesley Hornpetrie and I also led a recording session of the new work in the Dekelboum Concert Hall.

Hear music from recording session.

“Stick Season” by J. Clay Gonzalez, featuring cello soloist Wesley Hornpetrie

Project leadership

J. Clay Gonzalez and Wesley Hornpetrie, Co-directors. Erica Spear and Jenny Kunselman, project support.

Events for the project

Sunday, March 10th — Workshop with University of Maryland Students, covering how to perform a “regenerative immersion”

Monday. March 11th — Lecture on the Regenerate! project given to students and faculty of the composition department. Later that day, a rehearsal with students learning the piece “Stick Season,” a newly commissioned piece featuring solo cellist Wesley Hornpetrie.

Tuesday, March 12th at 9PM — Performance of “Stick Season” in the The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, featuring around forty student musicians.

Wednesday, March 13th — Recording session with student musicians in The Elsie & Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall. Hear that recoding here.