Spindrift Commissioning Guild Project for 2006

Triptoe Suite for Green Mountain Youth Symphony

About the project

I've known Bob Blais, the Music Director of the Green Mountain Youth Symphony, for a long time, mostly as an excellent cellist. His wife, horn player Lydia Busler-Blais, has played my horn music on many occasions. I knew Bob had a youth orchestra in Vermont and was pleased when he asked if I had anything for a concert of women composers he was planning in spring 2007. The only drawback was that I didn't really have anything suitable.

I've wanted to do some music that was suitable for younger players so I didn't want to let go of this opportunity. I already had two movements of a suite for intermediate violinist and piano, so I proposed orchestrating Triptoe Suite and perhaps adding a couple more movements. i had always thought Triptoe Suite would be great for string orchestra, but this is full orchestra - even more colors to play with. The music itself has a pentatonic folk quality in the melodies and some jazzy blue notes in the sometimes dense harmonies. So that's the project!

Instrumentation
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, percussion, timpani, strings

Duration
12 minutes

Commissioned by
Green Mountain Youth Symphony, Bob Blais, Music Director in Montpelier, VT

Premiere
April 29, 2007 at the Barre Opera House, Barre, Vermont

Get the music

See Triptoe Suite in the Music Catalog.

Join the project

This project is completed.
Read about the Guild.

Guild members

The following friends and supporters have contributed to support the composing of Triptoe Suite for orchestra:

Green Mountain Youth Symphony, Robert Blais, Music Director
Carson P. Cooman
Anonymous - 1

My thanks to everyone who is supporting Triptoe Suite!

Progress reports