Performed by CU Boulder Concert Band
Florance Price (1887-1953)
trans. Jay Bocook
Florance Price (1887-1953) is noted as the first African American female composer of symphonic works, and is only in recent years beginning to received the recognition so richly deserved. Her Symphony No. 1 was completed in 1932 and first performed in 1933 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Please enjoy this transcription for band the third movement (Juba Dance).

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Tribute
Travis Cross (b. 1977)
This work is written in memory of James Hubert Grimes (1920-2005), Travis Cross’s maternal grandfather, though conductors are welcome to program the work to honor whomever they choose. Tribute joins Cross’s Elegy, written for Cross’ maternal grandmother, and Memento, written for his paternal grandmother.
—Program Note by composer

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Francis McBeth (1933-2012)
Kaddish (rhymes with Schottische) is an ancient Jewish doxological prayer for the dead. It is said by the bereaved each morning and evening for eleven months, then on the anniversary of the death thereafter. To it is ascribed the power of redeeming the departed soul from any suffering and the efficacy of invalidating an evil decree.
The composition was written as a memorial to J. Clifton Williams, noted composer and former teacher of McBeth at the University of Texas.
This work is a combination of all emotions that surround the death of a friend— cries, shouts, resignation and sorrow—but the work should end as an alleluia, an affirmation of life. The “heartbeat” that runs throughout the piece in the percussion is a rhythmic quote from Williams’ Caccia and Chorale.
—Program note by Francis McBeth

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Dan Forrest (b. 1978)
Originally composed as a choral prayer for peace and wholeness during the events of 2020, Shalom alternates between sections of very simple melody floating over gentle accompaniment with polyphonic refrains featuring whispers of the word “peace.” No matter how complex the texture gets, it always returns to a single unison note, picturing the meaning of shalom—not merely a surface level peace, but wholeness in every aspect of one’s being (physically, mentally, emotionally. and spiritually) and in all our relationships with each other. —Program note by Dan Forrest

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Tyler S. Grant (b. 1995)
“More often than not, the circumstances of life seem to happen when we least expect; at least, that’s the way it felt upon the genesis of Resplendent Light. Commissioned by a school in Concord, Massachusetts, it was suggested to me to use Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as a source of inspiration for this serene and introspective work. Anyone who has read Walden knows that
one of the prominent overarching tones is ‘reflection.’ I had just sketched the first few melodic ideas for the work when I received the horrific news that my grandfather had passed away after a long battle with heart disease. While we knew that his health condition was declining we were unaware just how fast the disease would compromise his stability. Upon the death of a loved one, one can’t help but become immersed in self-reflection—reflecting on my own life, my heritage and the lives of those around me. Much like the way Thoreau chose to distance himself from the rest of the world in order to reflect, I spent several weeks blocking out the noise of our perpetually loud world to focus on these reflective thoughts.”
—Program note by Tyler S. Grant
C-5 CU BOULDER COLLEGE OF MUSIC

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