Description
Program Note
The Summer Swarm imagines the activity of a hive of yellowjackets. Dormant over winter, the queen begins building her nest and laying eggs in the spring and early summer, and a resulting population of yellowjackets soon explodes from the nest. The Summer Swarm begins by depicting a warm, sticky, summer day, when the air is thick with humidity. Suddenly, a rush of yellowjackets emerges, like a stampede, swarming out of nowhere. Fierce predators, the yellowjackets move as individuals or as a herd to gather food and protect the hive. The Summer Swarm follows these insects and their unpredictable paths as they swarm and startle.
The Summer Swarm was written for the Concord High School Band in Concord, Michigan, in honor of their mascot, the yellowjacket.
Performance Note
The Summer Swarm features the clarinet and flute as soloists.
Instrumentation
Flute 1, 2
Clarinet in B♭ 1, 2
Bass Clarinet in B♭
Bassoon
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet in B♭
Horn in F
Trombone
Baritone T. C.
Euphonium
Tuba
Mallets (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone)
Percussion 1 (bass drum, snare drum, castanets, timpani)
Percussion 2 (mark tree, vibraslap, tenor drum, egg shaker, ratchet)
