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

PERUSAL SCORE

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Parts | Site License: 195

Score: 50