Song of the ancients
Click here to listen to the full segment on Show 325 of NPR's From the Top.
Instrumentation: Euphonium and Piano
Duration: 5'00
Premiere: June 16, 2013, at Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ. Brian Wilson, Euphonium, and Karalyn Schubring, Piano
Performers: Joe Broom, Euphonium, and Karalyn Schubring, Piano
Program Note: The initial inspiration behind Song of the Ancients lay in the opening two-chord figure in the piano part, which has the flowing quality of a river. The melody I wrote on top of this pattern reminded me of what might have been the folksong of an ancient, Celtic tribe, surrounded by lush, green forests and sparkling rivers.
Song of the Ancients received a Morton Gould Young Composer's Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 2015. It was also a Semi-Finalist in the 2015 Music Teachers National Association Composition Competition.