WOODWINDS
Solo
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PHOENIX RISING • 10’ • sax, fl, or cl
SOPRANO SAXOPHONE
Christopher Creviston, saxophoneI. Dying in embersII. Reborn in flames
ALTO & C FLUTE
Christina CastellanosI. Dying in embersII. Reborn in flames
B-FLAT CLARINET
Julianne Kirk-DoyleI. Dying in embersII. Reborn in flames
YEAR COMPOSED
2016
COMMISSIONER
Christopher Creviston, saxophone
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=phoenix+rising
PROGRAM NOTES
Legends of the phoenix are found in stories from ancient Egypt and Greece. While each culture possesses a range of stories encompassing the phoenix myth, these tales tend to share similar traits: a sacred bird with brilliantly colored plumage and melodious call lives for typically five hundred years; then the bird dies in a nest of embers, only to be reborn among the flames. In Egyptian stories, the phoenix gathers scented wood and spices for its funeral/rebirth pyre, then collects the ashes from its earlier incarnation and flies them to the temple of the sun in Heliopolis to offer as a tribute to the sun god. In Greek myths, the phoenix was approximately the size of an eagle and was adorned with red and gold feathers; it would fly from either India or Arabia to Heliopolis to give its offering. The bird’s association with immortality and resurrection are particularly intriguing aspects of these tales, giving numerous writers (including William Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, and J.K. Rowling) a rich resource for their own stories.
Phoenix Rising consists of two movements. I. Dying in embers represents an old phoenix who is settling on top of a pile of embers and breathing its last breath; II. Reborn in flames depicts the newly born phoenix getting its first taste of flight. Phoenix Rising was commissioned by saxophonist Christopher Creviston. I subsequently made arrangements for flute, clarinet, and violin.
-S.G.
Duo
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BULL MOOSE GROOVE • 6’ • 2 bass cl
The commissioners have exclusive commercial recording rights until December 15, 2024.
YEAR COMPOSED
2022
COMMISSIONERS
Shandra Helman and Kimberly Fullerton
ORDERING SCORES
Inkjar Publishing Company
• $15 PDF with digital license
To order:
• Click on the link to email Inkjar Publishing Company
• An invoice will be sent to you via PayPal.
• Once payment is received, you will be emailed the licensed performance materials will be sent as PDFs within three business days (excluding weekends and holidays).
PROGRAM NOTES
Bull Moose Groove tells the story of a short hike I took in the Rocky Mountain National Park in early November of 2022. One day in the late afternoon, I set out for a leisurely stroll around Lily Lake, one of my favorite mountain trails. I had nearly completed the loop around the lake when I unexpectedly encountered a bull moose blocking my path. He was large, with five or six well-delineated points on each antler. The bull moose was munching on dried grass and stopped mid-chew when he saw me. As we stared at each other, I weighed my options – is there any way to safely pass by him? Or should I circle back around the lake? I took a small step forward to see if I could safely edge around him. The bull moose immediately lowered his head into what I perceived to be a warning sign, so I quickly returned the way I had come.
I represent both the hike and moose encounter in Bull Moose Groove. I. Afternoon Stroll represents my calm, peaceful walk prior to spotting the moose, and II. Moose on the Path captures the adrenaline pumping through my body when we spotted each other, as well as my quick gait as I scurried back around the lake.
-S.G. -
THE SOLITUDE OF STARS • 5' • assorted duos and trios
Robert Young, soprano saxophone
Polina Khatsko, pianoTim Gocklin, English horn
Edward Rothmel, piano
YEAR COMPOSED
2020
COMMISSIONER
Utah Arts Festival commissioned the original sextet.
ARRANGEMENTSDUOS
• flute, piano
• oboe, piano
• English horn, piano
• clarinet, piano
• bassoon, piano
• soprano sax, piano
• soprano sax, marimbaDUOS
• alto sax, piano
• violin, piano
• viola, piano
• violoncello, piano
• soprano (voice), pianoTRIOS
• flute, violoncello, piano
• oboe, bassoon, piano
• soprano and tenor saxophones, piano
• clarinet, bass clarinet, piano
• violin, violoncello, piano
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=solitude+of+stars
PROGRAM NOTES
In 2014, I enjoyed a wonderful residence at the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming. Ucross is an artist colony that gives writers, composers, and visual artists the gift of time, space, and support to follow their artistic pursuits; we are provided with studio space, housing, and meals so that we can work continuously on our projects. I have been in residence at numerous artist colonies; however, nothing in my previous experiences prepared me for living in such isolated, wild country. Ucross is situated on a 20,000-acre cattle ranch at nearly 4,000 feet in elevation with fewer than 150 people living within the town. But what Clearmont lacks in population, it makes up for abundantly and spectacularly in wilderness and wildlife. I composed the sextet Postcards from Wyoming to offer three glimpses of what I found to be the most striking aspects of my residence. The Solitude of Stars, the third and final movement of the original sextet, was inspired by the stunning nightly display of the heavens above. Without city lights dimming the night sky, countless stars shone brightly over the vast expanse of the prairie.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I undertook The Solitude of Stars project, which contains multiple duo and trio arrangements that I made for colleagues and friends.
-S.G. -
STUBBORN AS HELL • 5’40” • 2 cl
AUDIO
Mélomane Duo (Kristi Hanno and Jenny Maclay), clarinets
YEAR COMPOSED
2011
COMMISSIONER
Robert Spring
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
Click to view product page
PROGRAM NOTES
Stubborn as Hell was commissioned by virtuoso clarinetist Robert Spring. I heard Bob perform in September 2010 when I attended his clarinet concert at Arizona State University – Tempe. Bob is one of those wondrous musicians that plays the most challenging pieces written for the instrument and make them sound effortless. When he commissioned me, I wanted to write a piece that not only reflected his technical and musical abilities, but also his great sense of humor, hence the title and premise of the piece. The “stubbornness” of the title refers to the manner in which the two instruments incessantly battle each other around the pitch D, and how they willfully get stuck repeating pitches and gestures.
-S.G. -
SUENOS DE FLAMENCO • 4’45” • fl, classical gtr
VIDEO
Linden Duo (Kimberly Risinger, flute, and Angelo Favis, guitar)VIDEO
Julianne Kirk-Doyle, clarinet, and Douglas Rubio, guitar
YEAR COMPOSED
2018
COMMISSIONER
Duo Montagnard
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
Click to visit product page.
PROGRAM NOTES
Flamenco is an art form involving highly dramatic music and dance. The form is strongly associated with the Andalusia region of southern Spain. Its actual origins are less clear, though historians theorize that gypsies brought the predecessors of flamenco to the region as they migrated from India prior to the 15th century. The form took on traits from cultures that the gypsies encountered in Andalusia, including Spanish, Sephardic, Islamic, and Moorish musical traditions. Over the centuries, Spain’s ruling classes undertook systematic persecutions of populations who did not agree with their religious ideals, forcing gypsies to take refuge in Andalusia’s isolated mountain regions to survive. Not surprisingly, the topics of the gypsies’ songs frequently touch on longing, despair, rage, anguish, and hope.
Sueños de Flamenco (Flamenco Dreams) portrays a young gypsy couple who dance the flamenco with great longing, passion, and vigor. The piece was commissioned by Duo Montagnard (Joseph Murphy, saxophone, and Matthew Slotkin, guitar). I subsequently arranged the piece for flute and guitar.
-S.G.
Trio
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ARCHANGELS 12' • 3 fl or 3 cl or 3 sop. sax
I. Michael (Warrior)II. Raphael (Healer)III. Gabriel (Heralder)Christopher Creviston, Samuel Detweiler, and Justin Rollefson, soprano saxophones
Arizona State University, TempeI. Michael (Warrior)II. Raphael (Healer)III. Gabriel (Heralder)
Members of the Frost Flute Studio: Ben Novotny, Isabel Bu, Rodrigo Rodriquez, flutes
Frost School of Music, University of Miami
YEAR COMPOSED
2018
COMMISSIONERS
Christopher Creviston, Samuel Detweiler, and Justin Rollefson, soprano saxophones
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=archangels
PROGRAM NOTES
I have always been fascinated with the concept of archangels – huge, supernatural beings with gigantic wings who visit earth to carry out their heavenly tasks. Archangels are the “chief” angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions. The precise number of these high-ranking celestial beings varies from one religious source to another (typically from four to seven). The three movements of Archangels depict Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel—the three archangels most commonly referenced.
Michael is a warrior who is ever vigilant to march into battle against forces of evil. In art, he is often portrayed with his wings spread open in mid-flight and wielding a large sword that is raised into an attack position. The first movement begins with the foreboding sound of his large, beating wings. Suddenly, Michael appears in all of his terrible glory and wreaks havoc on an army of demons.
Raphael is a Hebraic name that translates to “God heals,” and he is in charge of all manners of healing. Artwork of Raphael typically shows him holding a staff, and he is often pictured with the round cheeks associated with a young cherub. In this quiet middle movement, Raphael gently makes his rounds to tend to the sick.
Gabriel is the heralder of news. In Christianity, Gabriel’s purpose is quite significant: he appears to Zechariah to announce the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary to announce the forthcoming birth of Jesus. Gabriel is often depicted holding a scepter, a stem of lilies, or an unfurled scroll. In this final movement of the piece, Gabriel trumpets his news for all to hear.
This piece was commissioned by saxophonists Christopher Creviston, Samuel Detweiler, and Justin Rollefson. I subsequently made an arrangement for three flutes.
-S.G.
LISTING FOR CONCERT PROGRAM
Please list the piece as follows:
Archangels
I. Michael (Warrior)
II. Raphael (Healer)
III. Gabriel (Heralder) -
SILVER DAGGER • 4’45” • fl, vc, pno
VIDEO
Heare Ensemble
YEAR COMPOSED
2009
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
Click to view product page
PROGRAM NOTES
In 1994, I heard for the first time an Appalachian folk song called Silver Dagger at a folk festival. The simplicity of the melody joined with a cautionary love tale enthralled me, and I spent the next several years researching the song. What emerged from my research were dozens of variants of the song, both in terms of text as well as melody and title. The variants that I discovered could be grouped more or less under three different titles: Silver Dagger, Drowsy Sleeper, and Katie Dear. All of these versions revolve around the same Romeo and Juliet premise: a boy asks a girl for her parents’ consent to marry. The story has various endings: the parents won’t give approval, so the girl and boy each end their lives with a silver dagger; the girl turns the boy down and sends him away to find another love; the girl forsakes her parents and runs away with the boy; and so on. In my trio, I incorporate two complete versions of the folk song, one of Katie Dear and one of Silver Dagger, as well as motives from a variant of Drowsy Sleeper.
-S.G. -
SLIPSTREAM • 14’15” • cl, hn, pno • cl, b. cl, pno
I. The Horizon BeckonsII. Riding SoloIII. Adrenaline RushAUDIO
Steve Ahearn, clarinet, Haley Hoops, horn, and Gabriel Sanchez, piano
Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Second Women in Classical Music Symposium, November 2020
YEAR COMPOSED
2020
COMMISSIONER
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/114-42364-slipstream.html
PROGRAM NOTES
The first time I saw slipstreaming in action with professional cyclists, I was in awe. The competitors were riding inches away from each other; when the lead rider would swerve left or right, the pursuers would immediately follow suit. The physics behind what appears on the surface to be sheer daredevil antics are quite solid: the cyclists riding directly behind the leader are benefitting from reduced air and wind resistance. On a larger scale, a peloton (the French term for a pack of riders) benefits multiple riders who are behind the leaders of the pack. While riding so close to other riders carries great risk of colliding, that risk is outweighed by the benefit of preserving one’s energy.
Slipstream was inspired by the love of cycling shared by Haley Hoops, horn, and Stephen Ahearn, clarinet, for whom the piece was commissioned. They are drawn to cycling for the adventure of it, to discover new places, and to meet new people. Haley also expressed her enjoyment of taking solo bike rides. Additionally, I found great inspiration in watching the daily highlight videos of the three-week 2020 Tour de France, which happened to be taking place while I composed Slipstream.
The piece opens with The Horizon Beckons. A cyclist hears an enticing call emanating from the mountains, then the cyclist starts pedaling towards the mountains in search of adventure. Riding Solo, the second movement, explores the quiet of riding alone, the beauty of the landscape, and the shifting of the light and clouds, all while we hear the bike’s wheels in constant motion. Adrenaline Rush, the third and final movement, depicts the heat of competition. We hear the constant jockeying of cyclists within a peloton as they slipstream with each other and move with the wind. At the very end of the movement, we hear sprinters race for the finish line with everything they have left in their legs.
Originally for clarinet, horn, and piano, the composer has made additional arrangements for clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano, as well as for soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, and piano.
-S.G. -
THE SOLITUDE OF STARS • 5’ • assorted duos and trios
Robert Young, soprano saxophone
Polina Khatsko, pianoTim Gocklin, English horn
Edward Rothmel, piano
YEAR COMPOSED
2020
COMMISSIONER
Utah Arts Festival commissioned the original sextet.
ARRANGEMENTSDUOS
• flute, piano
• oboe, piano
• English horn, piano
• clarinet, piano
• bassoon, piano
• soprano sax, piano
• soprano sax, marimbaDUOS
• alto sax, piano
• violin, piano
• viola, piano
• violoncello, piano
• soprano (voice), pianoTRIOS
• flute, violoncello, piano
• oboe, bassoon, piano
• soprano and tenor saxophones, piano
• clarinet, bass clarinet, piano
• violin, violoncello, piano
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=solitude+of+stars
PROGRAM NOTES
In 2014, I enjoyed a wonderful residence at the Ucross Foundation in Clearmont, Wyoming. Ucross is an artist colony that gives writers, composers, and visual artists the gift of time, space, and support to follow their artistic pursuits; we are provided with studio space, housing, and meals so that we can work continuously on our projects. I have been in residence at numerous artist colonies; however, nothing in my previous experiences prepared me for living in such isolated, wild country. Ucross is situated on a 20,000-acre cattle ranch at nearly 4,000 feet in elevation with fewer than 150 people living within the town. But what Clearmont lacks in population, it makes up for abundantly and spectacularly in wilderness and wildlife. I composed the sextet Postcards from Wyoming to offer three glimpses of what I found to be the most striking aspects of my residence. The Solitude of Stars, the third and final movement of the original sextet, was inspired by the stunning nightly display of the heavens above. Without city lights dimming the night sky, countless stars shone brightly over the vast expanse of the prairie.
During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, I undertook The Solitude of Stars project, which contains multiple duo and trio arrangements that I made for colleagues and friends.
-S.G.
Quartet
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SALON MUSIC • 8'30" • fl (or soprano sax), cl, ob, bn
VIDEO (saxophone version)
Christopher Creviston, soprano saxophone
Joe Lulloff, alto saxophone
Jonathan Nichol, tenor saxophone
Taimur Sullivan, baritone saxophone
2024 Great Plains Saxophone Workshop
YEAR COMPOSED
2023
COMMISSIONER
Fauré Centennial Festival, Boulder, Colorado
ORDERING SCORES
Inkjar Publishing Company
$45 woodwind quartet full score & parts • PDFs with digital license
Please note the performance set contains both flute and soprano saxophone options
To purchase, email Inkjar Publishing Company and specify "woodwind quartet"
PROGRAM NOTES
Imagine that you are an artist living in Paris in the year 1885. You are invited to the mansion of a wealthy patroness of the arts. You are ushered into an ornately decorated music room, replete with gilded mirrors, glowing chandeliers, and luxuriously crafted sitting chairs. The ladies are wearing the latest trends in evening gowns, and the men are dressed in tuxedos. The focal point of the room is a young violinist in a resplendent silk gown who is about to commence a musical concert for the delight and amusement of the well-to-do guests.
Above is a description of a painting by James Tissot called Hush! (The Concert). While the painting dates from 1875 and depicts a music salon in London, it represents a scenario that was also happening in France throughout the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, most notably in the mansion of Winnaretta Singer, also known as Princesse Edmond de Polignac (1865-1943) and heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. Winnaretta was a major benefactor of the arts who, over the course of forty-five years, gave regular music salons that championed living composers through a range of commissions for new works. Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel, and Igor Stravinsky were among the many recipients of her generosity.
In tribute to this invigorating atmosphere of music-making, I crafted Salon Music. My piece is lighthearted in tone, with an occasional escapade into a darker realm. As a tip of the hat to Fauré, with whom Winnaretta had a lifelong friendship, I worked in melodic and harmonic snippets from a few of his chamber works. You will hear fluttering butterflies from his art song Le papillon et la fleur (Op. 1) and the weeping cello melody from his Elegie (Op. 24). I was also inspired by a four-measure passage from the first movement of his Violin Sonata No. 1 (Op. 13); this passage became the basis of two tension-building sections within my own piece.
Salon Music was commissioned by the Fauré Centennial Festival for premiere at the University of Colorado – Boulder in February 2024.
-S.G.
5+
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BOHEMIAN CAFE • 8’ • fl, ob, cl, hn, bn (or vc), db
VIDEO
Fifth House Ensemble
YEAR COMPOSED
2015
DEDICATION
To Cedille Records in celebration of its 25th Anniversary
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/114-41745-bohemian-caf-c3-a9.html
PROGRAM NOTES
When James Ginsburg, president of Cedille Records, asked me for a piece in celebration of the label’s 25th anniversary, he suggested an intriguing instrumentation: a woodwind quintet with the addition of a double bass. Jim has been in Prague multiple times over the years, where street musicians (or “buskers”) are plentiful around the city. I personally have never been there, so I went online to see if there was footage of Prague’s buskers. I discovered a wealth of videos featuring musicians of all types – one-man bands, blues and jazz groups, classically trained string players, bagpipers, folk singers, Dixie bands, and even a very talented water goblet performer. As it turns out, Prague has a long and very rich culture of busking. I can see why Jim is enthralled with Prague!
In my piece, I employ the musicians in various groupings to portray different styles of music. I named the piece Bohemian Café, for when I hear it, I picture myself sitting at an outdoor café in a plaza in Prague, drinking coffee, watching street musicians set up around the plaza, and listening to assorted strands of music wafting through the air.
-S.G. -
RITES FOR THE AFTERLIFE • 16’20” • reed quintet (ob/eh, cl, sop/alto sax, bass cl, bn)
I. Inscriptions from the Book of the DeadII. Passage through the NetherworldIII. The Hall of JudgmentIV. The Field of Reeds
AUDIO
Akropolis Reed Quintet
YEAR COMPOSED
2018
COMMISSIONER
Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet.
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
https://www.presser.com/114-41998-rites+for+the+afterlife.html
PROGRAM NOTES
The ancient Egyptian empire began around 3100 B.C. and continued for over 3000 years until Alexander the Great conquered the country in 332 B.C. Over the centuries, the Egyptian empire grew and flourished into a highly developed society. They invented hieroglyphics, built towering pyramids (including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World), and the created many household items we still use today, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, eyeliner, black ink, and the forerunner of modern-day paper.
Included among their achievements were a series of highly developed funerary practices and beliefs in the Afterlife. As the average lifespan of an Egyptian hovered around 30 years, living past the death of one’s physical body was a legitimate concern. Egyptians believed that upon death, their souls would undertake a harrowing journey through the Netherworld. If they survived the horrific creatures and arduous trials that awaited them, then their souls would be reunified with their bodies (hence the need to preserve the body through mummification) and live forever in a perfect version of the life they had lived in Egypt. To achieve this, Egyptians devised around 200 magical spells and incantations to aid souls on the path to the Afterlife. These spells are collectively called The Book of the Dead. Particular spells would be chosen by the family of the deceased and inscribed on the tomb’s walls and scrolls of papyrus, as well as on a stone scarab placed over the deceased’s heart. Subsequent collections of spells and mortuary texts, such as The Book of Gates, assisted a soul in navigating the twelve stages of the Netherworld. Not only did these spells protect and guide the soul on this dangerous path, but they also served as a safeguard against any unbecoming behavior an Egyptian did while alive. For instance, if a person had robbed another while alive, there was a spell that would prevent the soul’s heart from revealing the truth when in the Hall of Judgement.
Rites for the Afterlife follows the path of a soul to the Afterlife. In Inscriptions from the Book of the Dead (movement 1), the soul leaves the body and begins the journey, protected by spells and incantations written on the tomb’s walls. In Passage though the Netherworld (movement 2), the soul is now on a funerary barque, being towed through the Netherworld by four of the region’s inhabitants. We hear the soul slowly chanting incantations as the barque encounters demons, serpents, crocodiles, lakes of fire, and other terrors. The soul arrives at The Hall of Judgment in movement 3. Standing before forty-two divine judges, the soul addresses each by name and gives a “negative confession” connected to each judge (i.e. “I did not rob,” “I did not do violence,” and so on). Afterwards, the soul’s heart is put on a scale to be weighed against a feather of Ma’at, the goddess of truth. If the heart weighs more than the feather, it will be eaten by Ammut, a hideous creature that lies in wait below the scale, and the soul will die a second and permanent death (this was the worst fear of the Egyptians). But if the heart is in balance with the feather, the soul proceeds onward. The final stage of the journey is the arrival at The Field of Reeds (movement 4), which is a perfect mirror image of the soul’s life in ancient Egypt. The soul reunites with deceased family members, makes sacrifices to the Egyptian gods and goddess, harvests crops from plentiful fields of wheat under a brilliant blue sky, and lives forever next to the abundant and nourishing waters of the Nile.
Rites for the Afterlife was commissioned by the Barlow Endowment on behalf of the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Calefax Reed Quintet, and the Brigham Young University Reed Quintet.
-S.G.
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HELIOS • 4’30” • 2 tpts/flugelhorns, hn, tbn, tba
PROGRAM NOTES
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot drawn by four horses (in some tales, the horses are winged; in others, they are made of fire) across the sky. At the end of each day’s journey, he slept in a golden boat that carried him on the Okeanos River (a fresh water stream that encircled the flat earth) back to his rising place. The cyclic journey of Helios is depicted in this short work for brass quintet. The first half is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night.
-S.G.