Overcoming

Overcoming is a piece that was inspired by my own personal years-long journey of acknowledging, identifying, and overcoming both anxiety and depression. The work is conceptually paired with my string orchestra work titled Becoming. This composition begins with a fiery fanfare (the A section), containing a call and response between the brass and wind sections. This section builds to a crescendo that suddenly gives way to grooving B-section (m. 17 ), featuring an ostinato in the bass voices and percussion that is very much inspired by the rhythms of Brazilian Samba Funk. As it repeats, a soaring melody enters in the Alto saxophones and French Horns (m. 25 ). With each repetition, more voices and parts are layered in, creating an orchestral crescendo. This is followed by the opening wind section's rips being played by most of the band over the Funk groove (m. 65 ). The piece concludes with a triumphant variation on the opening fanfare (m. 65 ); the music is familiar and yet different. That musical conclusion is what my own voyage of overcoming has been: we are back where we started and yet somehow changed due to journey we took. This work offers many educational opportunities, including but not limited to: Call and response between winds and brass Energetic funk rhythms for the percussion In the key of F-minor great for introducing concert Db to your musicians