Spindrift Commissioning Guild Project for 2006

Black Bear Dance for Esprit de Cor

About the project

Esprit de Cor is a group of Boston-area horn players - amateur and professional - who present an annual concert on the First Parish Summer Series in Lexington. Erik Svenson is the founder and organizer and David Archibald conducts. I have been playing with the group and composing pieces for them for several years. In 2004 Esprit played Echoes of Golden Brass for horns and organ, and last year we played "wild horn whose voice the woodland fills" for eight horns, in memory of our dear friend and fellow horn player Jeanne Traphagan.

In 2006 we played Black Bear Dance for horns and drumming group, played African-style. Members of the community drumming group from First Parish joined us. Rehearsals began at the end of April and the concert was June 2, 2006 at noon at First Parish Church in Lexington, MA. Check out the concert photo gallery!

Instrumentation
4 horns, drum - horn quartet or horn choir

Duration
4 minutes

Commissioned by
Spindrift Commissioning Guild
Written for Esprit de Cor, Erik Svenson, director

Premiere
Friday June 2, 2006
First Parish Summer Series, First Parish Unitarian, Harrington Road, Lexington, MA USA

Update 2010: I've made a clarinet choir arrangement of Black Bear Dance for the Indian Hill Clarinet Choir in Littleton, MA. They are Guild supporters too! They did a energized, wonderful performance at their Spring concert in 2010. You can hear a computer-audio performance at SoundClick.com

Instrumentation
clarinet choir in 5 parts

Duration
4 minutes

Commissioned by
Indian Hill Clarinet Choir, directed by Paul Surapine

Premiere
Friday June 17, 2010
Indian Hill Music, Littleton, MA

Downloads

Check out the music - listen, look at, purchase:

Join the project

This project is completed.
Read about the Guild.

Guild Members

The following friends and supporters have contributed to support the composing and performance of Black Bear Dance for horns and drumming group:

Green Mountain Horn Club, Alan Parshley, Director
Charles Learoyd
Anonymous - 4

Members of the Indian Hill Clarinet Choir
Charles Learoyd
Joseph Pisano
Jessica Popik
Bernadette Stockwell
Paul Surapine, ensemble director

My thanks to everyone who has supported Black Bear Dance!

Progress Reports