Original Concert Works for String Orchestra

Take a musical tour of the Emerald Isle. Three popular Irish tunes come to life for string orchestra with melody in all parts. From silky-slow to fiery-fast, it begins with the stately and poignant The

Don't get your fingers tangled in all these chromatic fingerings! Alternating D minor and D major, as well as arco and pizzicato, plus hooked bowings will keep everyone on their toes. Almost everyone gets

This engaging piece for string orchestra is appropriate for any time of the year but is especially fun for a summer orchestra concert. Arco Polo is a musical depiction of the well-known

Esperance (Hope) ventures into the realm of French impressionism, with luscious, thick harmonies and colorful orchestration for strings and harp. An easy grade 3 for strings, it allows your harp soloist to

Perfect for that Halloween concert, this spooky piece in G minor has a good bit of divisi in the violins. There are two cello parts - one that shifts and one that does not. Special effects such as glissandi

An E minor driving rock beat and two sets of parts will allow you to combine absolute beginners and second year students with great success. The easier parts are simple rhythms, and use limited range with

This staple of the bass solo repertoire is now available as a feature for your bass section. The orchestral accompaniment is very light and requires good counting skills, but nothing over a Grade 2. The

This fun arrangement in D major is based on an 18th-century dance tune written by escaped slave Ignatius Sancho. Each section gets a turn with the melody. Skills students will reinforce include string

This joyful dance contains wonderful stylistic influences from the Xinjiang province of China. From syncopated accompaniment figures to soaring lyric melodies, this arrangement has it all. There is one key

Originally composed for voice and piano, this arrangement musically paints a picture of the composer's love of "the hinterland - the land behind the body of water," Rio de Janeiro. Flowing slurs, dotted

An English country dance from Ignatius Sancho's Minuets Cotillons & Country Dances, the two-part writing in D major for this string orchestra arrangement explores interesting dynamics

This piece is the confluence of J.S. Bach and South America. A lively, Brazilian-influenced tune in C minor uses a chord progression, suggested by Bach, in jazz form. Confluence begins with a passionate

A wonderful early ensemble experience for your young orchestra. Written in two and three parts, students feel supported yet part of an orchestra experience. The middle section uses pizzicato with enough

Originally composed as a piano solo with robust chords and a proud melody, this string orchestra arrangement will delight your young ensemble. All instruments have interesting parts, and students will

Based on a traditional Lakota melody originally written for flute, this unique arrangement has a haunting melody based on the D pentatonic scale which is passed to all sections. Players will practice simple

Inspire your students to create a musical story about a lost city from long, long ago. In this adventurous work, young players explore E natural minor without accidentals, creating the feel of E Dorian

Perfectly suited for first-year students, this piece uses only the notes from the one-octave D Major scale. The rhythmic palette is limited to eighth notes, quarter notes, and quarter rests. There is enough

Take your students on an auditory trip through the streets of Brazil with this challenging but fun samba. Written for string orchestra, drum set, and caxixi (a large gourd shaker), this piece provides the

Cedar Hollow is a small valley (or hollow) in the Ozarks. This work captures the essence and tranquility of the area. The optional harp part will enhance the ensemble wonderfully if used. Some skillful

An open string/first finger masterpiece, this work focuses on the tango rhythm and stretching that low first finger. Harmonically, there is some lovely, shocking dissonance -- just like a real tango!

Two-note slurs and dotted quarter-note rhythms are introduced to your first-year orchestra in this delightful rondo. Basses will use half position while the notes of the D Major scale are reinforced. Useful