April 20, 2024   

Remembering Joe L  by David R. Peoples

Joe L. Alexander was a long time member of NACUSA, we were saddened to hear of his passing. This piece is dedicated in his memory and uses phone recordings as electronics to memorialize Joe.

Lincoln on Theater? ‘I Am Not Her Greatest Fanatic’   by David R. Peoples

“On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Lincoln died of his wounds the following day at 7:22 am in the Petersen House opposite the theater. He was the first U.S. president to be assassinated. His funeral and burial were marked by an extended period of national mourning.

Near the end of the American Civil War, Lincoln's assassination was part of a larger conspiracy intended by Booth to revive the Confederate cause by eliminating the three most important officials of the federal government. Conspirators Lewis Powell and David Herold were assigned to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward, and George Atzerodt was tasked with killing Vice President Andrew Johnson. Beyond Lincoln's death, the plot failed: Seward was only wounded, and Johnson's would-be attacker became drunk instead of killing the vice president. After a dramatic initial escape, Booth was killed at the end of a 12-day chase. Powell, Herold, Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt were later hanged for their roles in the conspiracy.”

Alan Goldspiel, guitar

"ALAN GOLDSPIEL has performed world premieres at New York’s Carnegie and CAMI Halls and has been featured on NPR radio stations from coast to coast, and performed in the critically acclaimed Goldspiel/Provost Duo." Click Here to Visit Alan's Professional Site

David Peoples, composer and performer

David R. Peoples writes with a ginger ale in hand on a balcony surrounded by forest. It’s from Flowery Branch, Georgia, surrounded by nature, that all his compositions begin before being released into and around the world. David enjoys sharing his own and other composers’ new music in recitals. From April 2021 to May 2022, he presented recitals featuring 100+ composers in all 50 states through the National Association of Composers, Music Teachers National Association, Research on Contemporary Composition Conference, and Electrophonic Concerts. David also actively composes new music with recent performances by soloists, Luna Nova Music Ensemble, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Contemporary Chamber Players, West Point Band, and other performance groups — with premieres in North and Central America, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, he has enjoyed jazz premieres by the Jazz Surge with Randy Brecker, David Sanchez, Rufus Reid, and Gary Foster. 

Among other things, David has toured extensively; lived, studied, and performed in Los Angeles, Austin, Memphis, and Atlanta; and won numerous national and international awards for composition. David actively produces albums as a leader and technologist (each containing his compositions). Many of these albums feature a blended approach of live performance with fixed media elements. His works have been part of Navona Records, Ravello Records, Bluesilhouettes Music, Skydeck Music, and Select-O-Hits.

A native of Southern California, he has taught for 12+ years and continues teaching at the University of North Georgia.