Back to Large Ensemble Works
River City
For Band (2023)
Program Note:
Through the musical collaboration Kids Compose between Indiana University and elementary school students residing in Bloomington, I was sent twenty-four different melodies written by local kids from Indiana, from which I was tasked to pick two to develop my ideas around a new band piece. Ultimately, it was the notes from young (eight to ten-year-old!) bright scholars Sheldon and Katelynne that captured my attention and inspired this work. I found their spontaneity and simultaneous innocence to be enchanting qualities that made me think back to a time when I was their age, playing with my action figures and toy animals. Personally, eight-year-old me was always a fan of dinosaurs!
Talking to each of them on the phone, they were both just as charming as their melodies, full of life and excitement. Though they don’t have prior experience playing musical instruments or writing for them, they were able to communicate their ideas as if they were seasoned composers. Each of them spoke about how their melodies were meant to depict happiness and living in the moment; Sheldon additionally used the word “heartfelt” to describe his writing. Katelynne talked about how she sang to her friends, as she received help with notating what she wanted. She would respond on her emotions – “yes, I love that!” or “no, not that!”
River City depicts a mystical landscape free of worries and stress, where we are able to find our own inner child. Between Sheldon’s idea of a note being quickly repeated and Katelynne’s idea of a four-note descending line, I was able to find many ways to combine these two tableaus in various ways. Between moments of excitement, beauty, playfulness, nostalgia and even mischief, I hope listeners are able to re-experience moments of their childhood that they hold dear to them. Thank you Sheldon and Katelynne for lending your creativity and time to this project!
Performances:
February 22, 2023: Indiana University Concert Band, Musical Arts Center at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN