For the Love of Family (2023) - for Tuba and Fixed Media
Duration: 6 minutes
Difficulty: Contrabass version: 3/5, Bass version: 3.5/5, Euphonium version: 3/5
Format: PDF solo part the contrabass tuba, bass tuba, and euphonium versions and MP3 file of the backing track.
Recording coming soon!
Copyright © 2023 Ian Lester
S0c1AL - for trombone, fixed media, and optional guitar pedals
S0c1AL was written in 2022 for Brent Mead as part of his grant-based project to commission several new works for trombone that all were to relate to issues, disorders, and traumas that many people face. The project is aimed towards younger people in an effort to show through music that these negativities in life can be dealt with and managed in a healthy way, and more importantly, to show that there are others who have faced similar obstacles; you are not alone. S0c1AL deals with the topic of social anxiety, a type of anxiety disorder, that many people, including myself, struggle with to some extent. Social anxiety is persistent and makes it difficult to do things such as meet new people, develop new relationships, and attend social gatherings. Furthermore, someone with social anxiety may fear that they are being judged by others and feel helpless to control these feelings. S0c1AL is a through-composed work that consists of three main thematic sections:
I. There are Almost 8 Billion People on This Planet, yet I Feel so Alone: This first section portrays the constant pendulum of emotions associated with social anxiety. One is fearful of being around others, yet simultaneously yearns for friendship. This inner conflict is represented frequent shifting between “bright” and “dark” melodic and harmonic structures in both the solo trombone part and the backing track. Optional pedals used: Reverb, Octave, and Delay.
II. Risk with a Side of Self-doubt: This movement represents the anxiety, fear, and questions that arise when approaching someone new: “What should I say? What if they think I’m weird? Do I make small talk?” Optional pedals used: Overdrive and Chorus.
III. Free: Finally, this optimistic movement represents the relief and weight off the shoulders when one successfully makes a new friend. Optional pedals used: Reverb.
Duration: 6 minutes
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Format: PDF solo part and WAV file of the backing track.
Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester
RETRO GROOVE MACHINE (2022) - for Euphonium and Fixed Media
Written in early 2022 for euphoniumist Demondrae Thurman, RETRO GROOVE MACHINE is a work for euphonium and fixed media that fuses elements of 80's synth pop and rock, 90's hip hop, and theme music from from crime and detective TV shows from the 80's and 90's.
Duration: 4 minutes 10 seconds
Difficulty: 4/5
Format: PDF solo euphonium part and WAV file of the backing track.
Premiere performance can be heard here: soundcloud.com/ianlester-1/retro-groove-machine-world-premiere-performance
Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester
Hindsight (2021) - for Tuba (or Euphonium) and Fixed Media
Hindsight was written in 2021 as part of a consortium led by Taylor Hicks. The work revolves around the saying “hindsight is 20/20”, an expression that in this instance, refers to how humanity might look back on the year 2020, including the COVID-19 Pandemic and the turbulent and constant social and political unrest that swept through the United States. Hindsight is written in an arch form (ABCBA) with slight deviations within the following three main sections: 1. The Empty Streets, 2.Pandemic Pandemonium, 3. March.
Consortium Members:
Taylor Hicks (Lead Commissioner), John Szkutko, James O’Connell, Chasse Duplantis, Kevin Fenske, Dr. Jesse Orth, Thomas G. Stein, Nick Beltchev, Steph Frye-Clark, Walter Hicks, Nathan Gay, Alexander Lapins, Edward Shaw Jr, Tim Schachtschneider, Jonathan Jarman, Patrick Yeh, Drew Leslie
Duration: 8 minutes 30 seconds
Difficulty: 3.5/5
Format: PDF solo parts (both tuba and euphonium versions included) and the MP3 file of the backing track
Copyright © 2021 Ian Lester