Sinfonia No. 1 for Horn and Concert Band

Lighthearted, lyrical and virtuosic, this playful horn solo with concert band features memorable melodic content accompanied by a combination of Lydian and quartal harmonies. The original solo was written in 1975 when I was in my senior year at the University of Miami. My original idea was to write ten solos, one for each major instrument in the wind section of the concert band, each accompanied by wind ensemble, and performed by my friends who were also my Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia "brothers." I was honored to have my friend, Basil Kerr perform the premiere performance of Sinfonia No. 1 on his senior recital. After the premieres of Sinfonia No. 1 for Horn and Sinfonia No. 2 for Euphonium, I graduated in 1975 and began my teaching career, and that spelled the end of the project until fifty years later when I was commissioned to write a solo for trombone with concert band in 2024. In trying to find a title for the piece, I remembered I had written two other solos many years ago and decided to call it Sinfonia No. 3 for Trombone. It was then I considered updating and resurrecting the other two solos. Amazingly, I was able to find the original scores in my files, and two years later found some time to start the process. I hope the result is something that will find its way into the repertoire for horn soloists, and a piece they enjoy playing.