Band

Program Notes: The phrase “Into the Blue” invokes thoughts of a journey into the unknown, an openness toward new possibilities, all accompanied by a playful, adventurous spirit and a big dose of spontaneity. I imagine a journey from one place to another without a direct route pre-mapped between start and finish. These descriptions of “Into the Blue” hold true for the composition as well. The piece is propelled by the events set in motion in the beginning and ideas are bounced playfully through the orchestra. The unexpected is embraced, spontaneous detours are celebrated and we journey together with the music into the distance, allowing events to unfold naturally and fully. “Into the Blue” for orchestra was commissioned and premiered by the Youth Symphony of Kansas City in 2003. This Concert Band version was commissioned for the 2018 Lesbian and Gay Band Association National Conference and was premiered in May 2018.

^{PERFORMANCE HISTORY
IU Jacobs School of Music Concert Band, Tiffany Galus, Conductor – 7 November 2024
Indy Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Jon Norwarytas, Conductor – 20 October 2024
Enfield High School Concert Band, Raymond Cole, Conductor – 12 May 2023
Kansas City Wind Symphony, Langston Hemenway, Conductor – 9 October 2022
Waukegan Band Foundation, Mark A. Taylor, Conductor – 9 August, 2022
University of Indianapolis, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Jon Noworyta, conductor – May 2020 (Virtual)
Rowan University Band, Joseph Higgins, conductor – 9 December, 2019
National Symphonic Bands in Costa Rica, Luis A. Víquez, conductor – 12 May 2019
University of Kansas, Symphonic Band, Sharon Toulouse, conductor  – 2 May 2019
Tampa Bay Pride Band, David Triplett-Rosa, conductor – 30 September 2018
2018 Lesbian and Gay Band Association, David Triplett-Rosa, conducto – 26 May 2018 *Premiere Performance*}

Program Notes: The famous Rhineland mystic, nun, healer and composer, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) hardly needs an introduction. Recent popular and scholarly discoveries of her music as well as correspondences and writings on natural healing have made her famous to the public at large. Her extraordinary achievements, all the more astonishing considering the burden of being a woman in a medieval monastic world, have made her something of an international cult figure. My composition Musica Ignota draws inspiration from Hildegard’s music as well as her lesser-known invented language system entitled Lingua Ignota (Latin for “unknown language”). To write in this imaginary language, she used an alphabet of 23 letters and created a glossary of over 1000 beautiful, unknown words, presumably intended as a universal language for mystical purposes. The opening to the glossary in the Wiesbaden Riesencodex disarmingly states that Lingua Ignota is “an unknown language brought forward by the simple human being Hildegard (Ignota lingua per simplicem hominem Hildegardem prolata).” Having grown up in the Rhineland myself, I have long been fascinated by Hildegard von Bingen and it is my hope that the “unknown music” brought forth in Musica Ignota, serves to honor her life and work.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY
^{Lawrence University Wind Ensemble, Leon Rumphs, Conductor (November 20, 2024)
Otterbein University Wind Ensemble, Michael Yonchak, Conductor (October 16, 2024)
University of Michigan Concert Band, Alex Scott, Conductor (April 10, 2024)
McGill Wind Orchestra; Danielle Gaudry, Conductor (February 23, 2024)
Sam Houston State University Symphonic Band, Brian Gibbs, conductor (February 22, 2024)
Rowan University Wind Ensemble, Joseph Higgins, conductor (December 12, 2023)
LSU Symphonic Winds, Simon Holoweiko, conductor (November 28, 2023)
University of New Mexico’s Wind Symphony, Brett Penshorn, conductor (September 20, 2023)
UCLA Wind Ensemble, Travis J. Cross, conductor (May 31, 2023)
Bethel Wind Symphony, Steven Thompson, conductor (May 12, 2023)
National Concert Band of America, Adrian Holton, Conductor (April 30, 2023)
University of California Irvine Wind Ensemble, Kevin McKeown, conductor (March 13, 2023)
Ithaca College Wind Symphony, Benjamin Rochford, conductor (March 8, 2023)
Diablo Valley College, Kaitlin Bove, conductor, Pleasant Hill, CA. 9 minutes. (March 2, 2023)
Seattle Wind Symphony, John Falskow, conductor (February 11, 2023)
University of Northern Iowa Wind Ensemble, Danny Galyen, conductor (November 15, 2022)
James Madison University Symphonic Band, Nieves Villasenor, conductor (October 25, 2022)
Wisconsin Symphonic Winds, Devin Otto, Conductor (August 12, 2022)
Renton City Concert Band, Michael Simpson, conductor (June 12, 2022)
Pierce College, Kaitlin Bove, conductor (June 12, 2022)
Oxford University Wind Orchestra, Alice Knight, conductor (June 8, 2022)
University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Justin C. Davis, Conductor (May 1, 2022)
University of San Diego Wind Ensemble, Jeff Malecki, conductor (April 29, 2022)
East Central University Wind Ensemble, Nicholaus Meyers, conductor (April 24, 2022)
CBDNA – Western/Northwestern Division Conference, University of Puget Sound (March 16, 2022)
University of British Columbia, Robert Taylor, Conductor (February 17, 2022)
UMKC Conservatory Wind Symphony, Steven D. Davis, Conductor(December 10, 2021)
Symphonic Band, University of West Florida, Brittan Braddock, Conductor (December 2, 2021)
Santa Clara University Wind Ensemble (November 18, 2021)
University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, Lucas Petersen, Conductor (November 16, 2021)
University of West Georgia, Josh Byrd, conductor (November 12, 2021)
University of the Pacific, Vu Nguyen, Conductor, (November 5, 2021)
Premiere Performance: Pacific Lutheran University, Edwin Powell, Conductor (October 10, 2021)}

Program Notes: Panta Rhei, from the Greek “everything flows,” is a term that is attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (c.535-c.475 B.C.). He believed that permanence was an illusion of the senses, that the world is permanently becoming and that all things are in constant flux. For me, music encapsulates this concept. For one, music only exists in time and therefore is in constant flux. There is also no permanence; one can never experience a piece the same way twice, nor is it possible to perform a piece exactly the same. Heraclitus beautifully sums up this concept by saying that one can never step into the same river twice. I find this comforting and exciting as a listener and as a composer. Panta Rhei was commissioned and premiered by Steven D. Davis and the UMKC Wind Symphony.

^{PERFORMANCE HISTORY
Grand Symphonic Winds, Matthew George, conductor) – 12 May 2023
James Madison University, Wind Symphony, Stephen Bolstad, conductor – 18 October 2022
University of Miami Frost Wind Symphony, Robert Carnochan, conductor ) – 11 September 2022
Ball State University Wind Symphony, Caroline Hand, conductor – 25 March 2022
University of Missouri, Kansas City, Wind Symphony, Juan Berrios, conductor – 11 February 2020
University of Washington (Seattle) Symphonic Band (Steven Morrison, conductor) – 6 December 2018
Mahidol (Thailand) University Wind Ensemble. Pamornpan Komolpamon, conductor – 8 August 2017
Illinois State University Wind Symphony, Martin H. Seggelke, conductor – 3 April 2016
University of Delaware Wind Ensemble, Chad Nicholson, conductor – 10 March 2016 (CBDNA 2016 Eastern Division Conference, New London, Conn.)
Florida State University Wind Orchestra, Timothy Wiggins, conductor, – 2 February 2013
Northern Arizona University Wind Symphony, Daniel Schmidt, conductor – 15 September 2011
University of Missouri, Kansas City, Wind Symphony, Steven D. Davis, conductor – 28 October 2010 ‘*Premiere Performance*}