It started in the
Miami Philharmonic.

Days begin in darkness and mystery. Shadows stretch across the landscape, only grudgingly giving way to gradual appearance of morning light. The first sounds of birds greet the new day and take flight, replacing the retreating shadows in a wild and glorious crescendo which builds into a full symphonic celebration of life.

Morning light appears gray with a tinge of blue. Then the colors of the morning burst forth. Orange and yellow paint the sky. The sun rises in a spectacular display of magnificence.

Vivid blue sky overtakes the colorful sunrise canvas. Puffy clouds roll in, and hearts swell. Another beautiful day is born. The sights and sounds of life fill the perfectly picturesque scene.

But as with everything, perfection fades. Following closely behind the beautiful blue sky with its marshmallow clouds creeps another sky of gray, bringing the storm clouds, with violent lightning and crashing thunder. Rain falls and cleanses the land, dwindles, and finally abates.

The day retreats slowly. Darkness falls, the moon rises, and the stars come out. Days come and go. Each one gives us another chance for greatness, whether creating a magnificent invention or performing a simple random act of kindness. The final question is, what will we do with each new day?

The composer loves to watch first light and sunrise. Then at the sunset end of another full day, we realize that this day, and each day, is a metaphor for our journey through this life.

Ride Rainbows is a choral piece for Piano and SATB. It is intended for high school choruses. The piece was written in a style inspired by Electronic Dance Music. Originally, I wanted to adapt the Uplifting Trance style, but I felt that tempo range was too fast and opted for a more traditional House style with a tempo of 110 beats per minute.

Ride Rainbows encourages people to follow their desires and achieve their dreams. Featured are the metaphors of Unicorns and Rainbows as vehicles for getting to the end of the rainbow to claim your dreams. As such the melodies and harmonies are happy and uplifting.

I will find out if I made the finals on December 9, 2022. If I am one of the finalists, then I will go to Ithaca for the performance of all finalists and find out who won first and second place.

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet. A small book of collected poems named Gitanjali was the inspiration for this piece. It attempts to reflect the ethos of one poem in the book that I call Endless. It revolves around the idea that we are all endless in this game of like.

The piece was written to be playable by horn players from high school through college. It focuses on lyric phrases and rich harmonies.