Euphonium and Orchestra

with Orchestra (piano and band accompaniment also available )

In four movements and subtitled "Creative States", this concerto will allow the audience's imagination run wild as the performer paints the picture:

I. Wonder

II. Emptiness

III. Emptiness

IV. Joy

This piece was commissioned by:

Amy Schumaker Bliss

Lauren Veronie Curran

Jonathan Helmick

Jamie Lipton

Gail Robertson

Travis Scott

Evagene Wellman

I tend to think that the subtitle and movement titles of this piece should be fairly self explanatory. However, after thinking about it a bit I realized that perhaps there is room for at least a little elaboration. This piece is about states that I (and you?) can put myself in when I have little or no inspiration for a piece. In that sense, it was a bit of a joke on myself as I was writing this concerto. I have always claimed that there is plenty of human and personal subject matter about which to write, so this is about what one can do when not feeling particularly inspired.

Three of the movements are states of childlike awareness - Wonder, Playfulness and Joy. The second movement is more of a meditative state, Emptiness, and is musically reflective of the piano "Gymnopedies" of Erik Satie. To me, it is a zen like emptying of oneself, creating a mental and emotional vacuum into which inspiration can enter. What is not mentioned here is that deadlines can also be a powerful impetus towards creativity for composers and other artists. Deadlines are the most terrifying, but often the most effective.

with Orchestra

Edmond Dédé (1827-1903) was a free-born black from New Orleans. He was a noted violinist and composer. Finding life hard in the mid-1800's for a black musician, he moved to Mexico and then ultimately to France. He composed "Mephisto Masque" in the 1860's. It was written for ophicleide and orchestra - today our closest modern solo instrument would be the euphonium.