Muse (2014)

for wind ensemble

 

When Josh Blair commissioned me to write a concert opener for his Doctoral Conducting Recital, he did not specify a particular theme or concept for the piece. I decided to compose a piece depicting the spark provided to me in my music by my muse, my beautiful wife, Tori.

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The four notes that make up the fanfare call by the trumpets in the opening measure serve as the foundation of the work’s most prominent themes. This motif (in one form or another) permeates the piece, even as the tonality and mood of the piece shifts. A career in music can be summed up as a metaphor for my life and our marriage: the journey - through it’s twists, turns, highs and lows - is not always easy, but it is worth it and easily the thing I am most thankful for.

 

Commissioned by and dedicated to Joshua Blair, for his final conducting recital of his doctoral degree from the University of South Florida.

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* Winner, 2017 Washington and Lee University Wind Ensemble Composition Contest