Sample Score

Sinfonia Notturna, roughly translated as ‘Night Symphony,’ was composed for Bobby Francis and the TCU Wind Symphony. Cast in three movements, the work takes the listener on a musical journey through different moods associated with the night. In the first movement, ‘Gala,’ we find a party atmosphere in the form of a fanfare. This music is an orchestration of a recent brass fanfare I composed for the opening of the new Van Cliburn Concert Hall at TCU; it contains musical motives derived from the TCU Alma Mater. Movement II, ‘Serenade,’ is a reimagining of a quiet but powerful choral work I wrote for The Kings Singers; the music swells with emotion, and then returns to its hushed opening spirit. The final movement, ‘Tango,’ presents passionate music progressing through contrasting sections, beginning with an invitation to the dance. Quintessential elements of tango such as ostinato, chromaticism, offbeat rhythms, and slithering melodic fragments weave their way throughout the finale, as the work closes on a high note.