Instrumentation

Flute 1, 2

Piccolo

Oboe 1, 2

Clarinet in B♭ 1, 2, 3

Bassoon 1, 2

Horn in F 1, 2, 3, 4

Trumpet in B♭ 1, 2, 3

Trombone 1, 2

Bass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion 1 (crash cymbals, suspended cymbal, triangle, temple blocks, tam-tam, ratchet)

Percussion 2 (glockenspiel, xylophone, bass drum)

Violin I

Violin II

Viola

Violoncello

Double Bass

Premiere

Denver Pops Orchestra – October 16, 2021

Program Note

              We Will Soar was commissioned by the Denver Pops Orchestra in celebration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment. Ratified on August 18, 1920, this amendment prohibits state and federal governments from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. This piece recognizes this achievement and the ever-increasing ways women’s voices are heard and represented in the public sphere. In writing We Will Soar , I sought to honor the women who persistently and courageously fought for suffrage prior to the Amendment, as well as the many who have voted, run for office, and advocated for women’s issues since. Though much work remains, I am grateful to the women from generations before me whose work has brought me the rights and freedoms I now have. We Will Soar is bold and joyful, a triumphant anthem in recognition of the accomplishments of American women and in hope of a future in which women continue to soar.