To Thee // From Thee

2023 Semi-Finalist for The American Prize The commission for this work came about just as the COVID-19 Pandemic began to unfold. As such, in conversations with Dr. Cormac Cannon, he mentioned the possibility/necessity of the ensemble performing with additional space between players, as a matter of health & safety. Rather than writing a “traditional” work for concert band and hoping that added space would not become a detriment, I instead approached this work with the distance as a key feature. The piece is organized as six wind quartets, encircling the auditorium. The woodwinds are orchestrated as consorts of like timbres (double reeds, clarinet choir, and saxophone quartet) whereas the brasses are consorts of the same instrument, saving low brass as a tuba/euphonium quartet. There is on percussionist, center stage, at the heart of the ensemble. As I got into the musical content of the work, I began to feel a touch of sentimentality, as the end of my journey at the University of So