Much to his horror, Jake Heggie (who still looks about 25) is turning 40
on March 31.  His anticipation of the event produced this memorable (and
exact) quote: "AAAAHHHGGGHH!!!!!!"

The Los Angeles native, who has left his mark on and heart in San
Francisco, is doing the Right Coast, burying his grief about the passage
of time in work.  While making arrangements for future productions of
his "Dead Man Walking," Jake is spending time in NYC, getting ready for
the April 1 premiere of "My Grandmother's Love Letters" for chorus and
orchestra with the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia; the April 18 Merkin
Hall premiere of "The Starry Night," a song cycle for mezzo-soprano and
piano; and the May 17 premiere of "Cut Time" (Variations for Piano and
Orchestra).  commissioned by the Eos Orchestra.

Next year, Heggie will be composer-in-residence at Vail Valley Music
Festival, premiering a number ofworks, including "The Deepest Desire," for
mezzo, flute and piano to new texts by Sister Helen Prejean; and he will
return to the Bay Area for the premiere of his cello concerto, composed
for Emil Miland and commissioned by the Oakland East Bay Symphony, Michael
Morgan, music director.  The composer who brought in "Dead Man" on schedule
and on budget (how many operas were born like that?), is also at work on a
new opera, premiering in Houston in 2004.

For R&R, Jake writes, "I was just tagging along with Flicka and Chanticleer
for their performances of "Anna Madrigal" in Atlanta, DC, Boston, NYC and
Columbus, OH.  That was amazing - I've never heard Flicka sound better,
and Chanticleer just me away." He's been "staying out of trouble," Jake
reports, by working hard.  It's good to know that NYC is free of the havoc
he once wreaked on SF.:)

Janos Gereben/SF, CA
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