Instrumentation

Piccolo

Flute 1, 2

Oboe 1,2

English Horn

Clarinet in E♭

Clarinet in B♭ 1, 2, 3

Bass Clarinet in B♭

Bassoon 1, 2

Contrabassoon

Alto Saxophone 1,2

Tenor Saxophone

Baritone Saxophone

Trumpet in B♭ 1, 2, 3

Horn in F 1, 2, 3, 4

Trombone 1, 2

Bass Trombone

Euphonium

Tuba

Timpani (timpani, crystal glasses)

Percussion 1 (bass drum, triangle, tenor drum, crotales, claves)

Percussion 2 (whip, marimba, suspended cymbal, tam-tam, triangle)

Percussion 3 (xylophone, vibraphone, crash cymbals)

Percussion 4 (tom-toms, crash cymbals, temple blocks, glockenspiel, suspended cymbal, ratchet)

Premiere

Michigan State University Wind Symphony – September 26, 2019

Program Note

              When conceiving of Scenes from Home, I had a strong desire to write music in response to specific images. I chose to use the artwork hanging in my own home as inspiration. I encounter these four paintings every day, and as a composer, I thought it only logical to give a soundtrack and a story to each. The paintings I have are all second-hand art, collected from thrift stores and previous owners who no longer wanted them. Consequently, I know little or nothing about their creators, but each work brings character to my home. Scenes from Home is, then, drawn literally from scenes in my own home, but the subject matter of each painting is very much something not in my home. Each of these images carries me out of my house to another place. Some remind me of specific places I have been, while others are truly only scenes I can imagine from these paintings. Scenes from Home explores not just what is literally depicted in the paintings, but what else I imagine is occurring – what would happen if we pressed “play” on each of these snapshots. I imagine wildlife struggling for survival, seagulls cawing as they soar, children playing on a summer vacation, waves roaring as they crash against the shore, and more. Scenes from Home brings each painting to life, allowing us to imagine each scene in action.

I. Mountain Lake

II. Seagulls in Morning Light

III. Winter Forest

IV. Cottage by the Shore