Dancing out of the Earth (2020) for wind ensemble | grade 6, 10'
​click here to view a perusal score

For many years now, I have been fascinated by creation myths from various cultures around the world. Some of these myths detail a supreme being creating the world ex nihilo, while others are about chaos brought into order. In other stories, an agent (usually an animal) is sent by a higher power to gather bits of earth from the bottom of a primordial ocean, out of which will be spun a new world. After reading several of these tales, I was struck with the image of a new creation dancing up out of this bit of earth, accompanied by developing complexity, interconnectedness, bursts of color, and the raw essence of life.
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Instrumentation: picc, 2 fl, 2 ob, 3 cl, b.cl, cb.cl, 2 asax, tsax, bsax, 2 bsn, cbsn, 4 hn, 3 tpt, 2 tbn, btbn, euph, 2 tba, timp+7, piano, str bass

World premiere scheduled for September 23 with The University of Alabama Wind Ensemble, Dr. Ken Ozzello conducting