Full Circle
for symphonic winds & percussion
In 1997 I found myself in Indianapolis, sitting in rehearsals with the Bands of America (Music for All) National Honor Band. Ray Cramer was the conductor. I was an 18 year old senior horn player on the tail end of a high school career that was loaded with B.O.A. experiences: marching band championships, concert band festivals, 3 years at the summer symposium, and now I was closing out that chapter with the National Honor Band. Those 4 years and the experiences that I had at those B.O.A. events were profound and were major motivators in my decision to pursue music as a profession.
When Ray contacted me about writing this piece I was struck immediately with the realization that my life had come full circle. I was now doing what I had set out to do 22 years ago and would be returning as a composer to the same honor band, with the same conductor, and the place that had been the catalyst for so much.
Full Circle is intended to be a musical homecoming. Something that exudes joy, excitement, and optimism. This piece is not so much about compositional cleverness (a thematic idea that bookends the work is the only real reference to circularity in the piece), but a reflection of the past and it’s influence on the present and the future. It is an embrace of those moments and experiences that positively change our lives.
Full Circle was written in honor of Ray Cramer and the 2019 Music For All National High School Honor Band and was made possible through Music for All and the Friends of Ray Cramer Consortium
PDF copy of the score and parts will be watermarked with the purchasing ensemble or buyer’s name. Note that PDF scores are eligible for a single printing. If you need multiple scores for contests or clinics, then multiple hard copies of the score will need to be purchased. Parts can be printed out as needed to fit the personnel of the ensemble.
When you purchase Parts you are also purchasing a Site License. Like computer software a Site License grants the purchasing ensemble/institution unlimited future performances as long as it is the purchasing ensemble/institution that is performing it. I ask then that purchased materials are not shared or distributed with any 3rd parties. If you are a conductor of an ensemble who has purchased one of my pieces and you are planning on using that piece for an honor band (All-State, Region, etc) then the coordinator of that honors ensemble will need to purchase materials for that group as performance materials are not transferable to other groups.