Soloist and Ensemble

Migration Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble (2024)

$275.00

Duration: Approx. 18 minutes

Soloist Difficulty: 4/5

Ensemble Difficulty: 3.5/5

Format: PDF Full Score and Parts

The Migration Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble was commissioned by Dr. Robert Benton for the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Kearney, Nebraska and was further supported by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary, The Crane Trust, and the Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. The work is directly inspired by the annual Springtime great migration of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Kearny. The Migration Concerto consists of three movements that musically convey this massive event through the lens of both an onlooker and a Sandhill Crane: I. Arrival, II. Sistere (still), and III. Flight.

I. Arrival begins with a brief, bold polyrhythmic statement from the band followed by a curious and cautious introductory section. These portions represent the excitement of finally arriving at the Platte River and the process of getting acclimated to the environment. The music then swells into an optimistic “Hopeful” section featuring a soaring melody in the euphonium. The birds are now acclimated. The next section marked “With eager impatience” represents the cranes leaving the river early each morning to feed throughout the day at the local cornfields, meadows, and alfalfa fields. The final “Dance of the Sandhill Crane” section of the movement represents the crane’s well-known bonding and mating dance, where pairs engage in elaborate bowing displays with outstretched wings and leap high into the air, often throwing sticks or corncobs repeatedly in the process.

II. Sistere (still) is what I consider the heart of the Concerto. The Latin word sistere means “to stop” and “to cease moving”. This movement represents the Sandhill Cranes huddled together, roosting on the Platte River. An optimistic percussion introduction rings for ten seconds before an ethereal vibraphone-led progression leads into the solo euphonium melody. The soloist and ensemble build in intensity until a subito piano brings the music back into the initial dream-like chorale. There is another swell of intensity and a subito pianissimo before the music blossoms into a sweeping and passionate restatement of the original material, this time in a new key. The movement ends with a subdued, hopeful iteration of the chorale progression.

III. Flight is a celebration of the Sandhill Cranes and the amazing visuals and powerful sounds they make as they take off from the Platte River and fly through the air, continuing their journey north. The solo euphonium makes its presence known immediately with a soaring, powerful motive in 6/8 time while the ensemble flourishes with rapid-fire runs. Bell-like staggered entrances in the band introduce a heroic melody in the solo euphonium. This section represents the impressive sight of large flocks of cranes taking off in flight. A cadenza both reminisces on the past and looks ahead to the future by quoting material from the first movement and introducing new material. A recapitulation of the original soaring, powerful motive in an optimistic E-flat Lydian mode brings the Concerto to a thunderous final chord with the solo euphonium ending on an musically and symbolically open-ended 9th.

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Pleasantries (2022) - for Solo Trombone and Trombone or Euphonium Trio

$15.00

Pleasantries was written for my good friend and trombonist Daniel Wood in the Summer of 2022. After many instances of shooting the breeze with Daniel in the UMKC Performing Arts Center lounge between classes, I decided that this work should represent lighthearted conversation between friends. As a result, the solo trombone essentially converses with the trombone or euphonium trio. To mimic the feeling of dialogue, I utilized the following groupings:

1. Trio plays without soloist (three friends talking)

2. Solo trombone joins the trio (the fourth friend enters the discussion).

3. Brief moments of the solo trombone playing alone (the fourth friend changing the subject of the conversation).

Duration: Approx. 4 minutes

Difficulty: 2.5/5

Format: PDF Score and parts (solo trombone and trombone/euphoniums 1, 2, 3)

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The Beast Awakens! (2022) - Fantasia for Solo Tuba and Brass Band

$80.00

The Beast Awakens! is a 10-minute Fantasia for solo tuba and brass band written for the 2023 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference (ITEC) Composition Competition, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA). As someone who has been immersed in brass bands since 2012, I have always loved the range of timbres and atmospheres that can be created within a brass band. I also greatly adore the tuba, being a euphonium player myself. As a solo instrument, the tuba is flexible, having the ability to be extremely aggressive and angular as well as soft, gentle, and sweet.

My goal with The Beast Awakens! is to showcase the versatility of both the soloist and the brass band through several distinct sections, each with their own unique mood, and to display the tuba as a heroic figure attempting to defeat the force of nature that is the Beast. Following a bombastic introduction, a dynamically diverse “Decisive” section leads into an extended Cadenza, showcasing the virtuosic capabilities of the solo tuba. The cadenza leads into a bright and rhythmic “Determined “section with a steady pulse in the temple block and a mixed-meter angular melody emanating from the solo part. A brief “Longing” segment showcases the lyrical side of the tuba, with a more sparsely orchestrated chorale-like melody, as if the hero has lost their army to the Beast. Another brief section, “Foreboding”, is more dissonant, and conveys the hero’s realization that they must now face the Beast alone. That fear quickly turns into determination, with a restatement of the mixed-meter angular melody and temple block pulse. The piece ends with the hero victorious in battle; they have defeated the Beast.

Duration: Approx. 10 minutes

Difficulty 4.5/5

Format: PDF Score and Parts (solo tuba and traditional British brass band instrumentation) and MP3 file of MIDI Audio Reference Recording

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