Holy cow! My favorite season is here! Baseball season! Some exceedingly exciting performances over the last couple months with the Phoenix Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Phoenix Theatre Company, and the AZ Opera have kept me vibrantly sleep deprived- but I’m excited to be approaching the end of the semester and seasons to get back to writing and recording over the summer. I may even showcase my newly acquired finger picking acoustic guitar skills I have worked on throughout the pandemic! I have to muster up some courage in the meantime…
The biggest recent event was meeting and playing for Gayle King as she received the 39th annual Walter Cronkite award at ASU. She was moved enough to feature some of my career highlights on CBS mornings the very next morning. She even called me to let me know- a beautiful gesture that I will carry with me. It reminds me of how magical and connecting a life in music can be, and it has left me inspired, humbled, and f***ing motivated!!!! Let’s go!!!! Here’s the clip:
Some upcoming performances worth noting:
-Lead trp with An American in Paris at the Phoenix Theatre Company: March 4th @2pm, March 9th @7pm
–Sound of Music w/AZ Opera: March3,4,5 in Phoenix, March 10, 11 in Tucson, AZ
-Pops show w/ AZ Musicfest Festival Orchestra (Scottsdale, AZ): March 10, 11
– Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloë suites 1 and 2 W/ NM Phil (ABQ): March 18th
-Debussy’s La Mer w/ PHX Symphony: March 24-26
-Featured Clinician at the Univ. of Oklahoma’s Trumpet Week: April 17-18
– Mahler 1 w/NM Phil (ABQ): April 22
Happy Spring!!!!
Sam
Sam Oatts 