Chamber Ensemble (fl, cl, ob, bn, tp, hn, btbn, pno, harp, 3 perc, 2 vln, vle, vc, cb)
Premiere: October 29, 2014. UT New Music Ensemble. Dan Welcher, Director
Wind Ensemble
Premiere: October 26, 2914. UT Wind Ensemble. Jerry Junkin, Director.Program Notes
This work, though not truly programmatic, emerged from my experiences in the the 30,000 Islands region of southern Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. One of the most striking of the larger islands lies of Cedar Point and is part of regional lands inhabited for centuries by the Huron Indians. From very dark beginnings in the piece we ultimately arrive at a kind of celebration of the natural beauty and majesty of the island. This piece continues my personal interest in legends from around the world that help to explain in more or less magical terms the world around us.The Legend of Kitchikewana
Wyandot legend tells of a god called Kitchikewana, who was large enough to guard the whole of the Georgian Bay. Kitchikewana was known for his great temper and his tribe decided the best way to calm him was with a wife. They held a grand celebration, and many women came. Kitchikewana met a woman named Wanakita here. He decided that this was the woman he wanted to marry, and started planning the wedding immediately after she left. But when she was invited back, she told Kitchikewana that she was already engaged. Enraged, Kitchikewana destroyed all the decorations, running to one end of Beausoleil Island and grabbing a large ball of earth. Running to the other end, he tossed it into the Great Lakes. Thus, the 30,000 Islands were created. The indentations left behind by his fingers form the five bays of Georgian Bay: Midland Bay, Penetang Bay, Hog Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and Matchedash Bay. He then lay down to sleep and sleeps there still as Giant's Tomb Island.Recording of Premiere
Premiere: Lake Travis High School, May 2009
Instrumentation: vln solo, cello solo, string orchestra
Duration: ~ 8'Duo Concertante is a single movement work for Youth Orchestra with solo violin and solo cello. This work was composed for two of my children, Gabriel (cello) and Daniela (violin) and for the Lake Travis Orchestra directed by Anna Masias.
Score (pdf);
parts available from the composerViolin solo (pdf),
Cello solo (pdf),
Piano reduction (pdf)
Instrumentation: wind ensemble or concert band
Duration: ~ 8'The St. Lawrence Overture is a single movement work for upper level high-school level band (difficulty level 4) that was commissioned by the Brockville Concert Band in Brockville, Ontario with the assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. It has been performed in Ontario and more recently in Austin by the University of Texas Symphonic Band.