Rise from the Ashes (2025)

for concert band

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Commissioned by Christopher Schultz and the Marion Rodgers Middle Magnet School in Riverview, Florida, Rise from the Ashes celebrates the tumultuous journey of the program. Though the band program at Rodgers consistently earns top ratings at music performance assessments these days, that was not always the case. In fact, it wasn’t long ago that the program was in jeopardy of going away altogether. 

 

Rise from the Ashes depicts the tumultuous struggle and eventual renewal of the Rodgers Middle School Band program. Set primarily in a minor tonality, the work employs angular rhythmic motifs and unsettled harmonies to portray adversity, uncertainty, and perseverance. At measure 17, the main theme emerges as a striving, rising gesture that soon descends, symbolizing repeated challenges and setbacks faced along the journey. As the piece unfolds, determination builds through layered textures and increasing momentum. Ultimately, the music transforms as the tonality brightens and confidence is restored, representing growth, resilience, and triumph. The journey concludes with a powerful affirmation: from hardship and struggle, the program rises renewed from the ashes.

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