Monterey Sketches

Premiered by the University of Akron Faculty Brass Quintet

Duration: Approx. 8 Minutes



Note to performers:

Each movement begins with an unaccompanied solo. Feel free to take liberties with the tempo, as these are expressive. Please only place a short pause between each movement, especially between movements two and three. 

Program Notes:

“Monterey Sketches” was born during my stay in Monterey, California during the summer of 2016.  The purpose of this trip was to spend time writing new music and I chose to focus on the brass quintet as my main ensemble. The trip was also filled with new opportunities and sights to see.  I tried to capture not only the excitement I experienced, but also the beauty I encountered.

Each movement begins with an unaccompanied solo. I wrote these solos during or after various occasions during my stay. The opening trumpet solo was written after encountering a great collection of works by Salvador Dali titled the Biblia Sacra.  I wrote the opening tuba solo in the second movement while sitting on the beach overlooking Monterey Bay on my first evening in California. The opening trombone solo in the third movement was written after a particularly long bike ride to explore new places. I then took these solo sketches and created the three movements of this piece.