Reign of the Hawks

From the composer: Premiered on April 19, 2023, Reign of the Hawks commemorates the twentieth anniversary of Heritage Intermediate School's grand opening in Fontana, California. Shortly after I was commissioned to write a piece for this occasion, I decided that the hawktheir mascotwould be a fruitful source of inspiration for weaving Heritage pride into the fabric of the piece. Dedicated to the many students whose achievements allow them to "soar to greater heights," the motifs in Reign of the Hawks are inspired by the slurred, cascading, two-note call of the red-shouldered hawka species local to Southern Californiaas well as this majestic creature's wing beats, which alternate between rapid pulses and a steady glide. Sakari Dixon Vanderveer Audio excerpt featuring Bands of the Air National Guard, Lt Col Bryan Miller, dir. Performed at the 2023 Midwest Clinic Band New Music Reading Session on Dec 20, 2023.