Improvisations (2017)

For 4 trumpets and 4 percussionists

Commissioned by McMurry University

Program Notes

I encountered a series of art works by Wassily Kandinsky titled “Improvisations” at both the Guggenheim Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art. These paintings captured my attention with their free use of lines and fullness of color. Kandinsky described these works as manifestations of events of an inner spiritual character. Since seeing these works, I have longed to write a piece using the same title and to capture the same sense of spiritual spontaneity. I thought the percussion and trumpet ensemble combination would be the perfect ensemble for such a piece.