Confluence: Symphony No. 1 for Band
2025
For Band
[pic. 2 fl. 2 ob. Eh. 2 bn. cbn. Ebcl. 3 cl. bcl. cbcl. ssx. 2 asx. tsx. bsax. 4 hn. pic tp. 4 tp. 2 tbn. btbn. euph. tuba. db. pf/cel. hp. tmp. 5 perc.]
Duration: c. 30'
Commissioned by Dr. Kevin Michael Holzman and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony for the 2025 North American Saxophone Alliance Region V Conference. Premiered on February 21, 2025. CCM, Cincinnati, OH.
For Band
[pic. 2 fl. 2 ob. Eh. 2 bn. cbn. Ebcl. 3 cl. bcl. cbcl. ssx. 2 asx. tsx. bsax. 4 hn. pic tp. 4 tp. 2 tbn. btbn. euph. tuba. db. pf/cel. hp. tmp. 5 perc.]
Duration: c. 30'
Commissioned by Dr. Kevin Michael Holzman and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Symphony for the 2025 North American Saxophone Alliance Region V Conference. Premiered on February 21, 2025. CCM, Cincinnati, OH.
Program Note
While visiting my brother in Arizona, I found myself wondering what it meant to be a traveler. Yes, the physical experience of heading somewhere new, whether by choice or not, but particularly the indescribable experience of a change in spirit. I was drawn to know what it felt like—what it meant. It seemed to me that two distinct paths could somehow be parallel in experience; the lives of two travelers could be reflections of one another.
In Confluence, I explore this reflection. It centers around two distinct musical characters and their emerging relationship. Where the tone of the first is dark, fearful, and lost, that of the second is bright, colorful, and playful. Initially, these characters are entirely separate and develop on their own. At their first crossing, they seem to pass by one another like two ships in the night. As the work progresses, however, they cross more frequently, often tripping over and interrupting each other. Despite their parallel surrounding experience, they respond in very different and often deconstructive ways which eventually tear them apart. Part I concludes at the breaking point of this tension and collapses under its own weight.
In Part II, all of the previous musical elements are mixed together. This mix is terribly muddy, dissonant, and conflicted. The restless tone from before has been bottled up and must be released again. This time, however, the release is not a collapse but a suspending of time. Finally, there is a new kind of crossing. One in which the musical characters seem to recognize each other. From here on, the work grows in excitement, brightness, and conviction. It is not a traditional synthesis, however. The musical elements still remain distinct in personality but have begun to interact and respond to one another. They begin to dance.
In Confluence, I explore this reflection. It centers around two distinct musical characters and their emerging relationship. Where the tone of the first is dark, fearful, and lost, that of the second is bright, colorful, and playful. Initially, these characters are entirely separate and develop on their own. At their first crossing, they seem to pass by one another like two ships in the night. As the work progresses, however, they cross more frequently, often tripping over and interrupting each other. Despite their parallel surrounding experience, they respond in very different and often deconstructive ways which eventually tear them apart. Part I concludes at the breaking point of this tension and collapses under its own weight.
In Part II, all of the previous musical elements are mixed together. This mix is terribly muddy, dissonant, and conflicted. The restless tone from before has been bottled up and must be released again. This time, however, the release is not a collapse but a suspending of time. Finally, there is a new kind of crossing. One in which the musical characters seem to recognize each other. From here on, the work grows in excitement, brightness, and conviction. It is not a traditional synthesis, however. The musical elements still remain distinct in personality but have begun to interact and respond to one another. They begin to dance.
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