Program Note: 

Serenade is an aesthetically mesmerizing work meant to embody the experience I have when drifting off to sleep. When I feel myself dozing off, I experience a pleasing sense of paralysis, while still maintaining awareness that I am awake. Contrary to my understanding of when dreams are supposed to happen in the sleep cycle, I begin to dream during these initial moments of rest often causing sleep talking and walking a mere half hour after laying down to sleep. Eventually this anxious process ends as I lay back down to get a full night’s sleep. This piece captures this bizarre (or perhaps completely normal?) process by first creating a tranquil environment, then leading to a culmination of tension and activity, which gradually transgresses back to the initial serenity. The work personifies an internal struggle that perhaps points to underlying problems in my own mind or is, much more likely, an expression of my own restlessness. 

This piece was composed for Eric Dluzniewski.

             - Ben Robichaux

     benrobichaux.com

Program Note:

Seresta is the Brazilian denomination for serenade, which appeared in the early 19th century tradition of Portugal.  It consists of performing lyrical songs at night while walking through the streets. Two elements are important in the formation of the Brazilian seresta: the vocal style becomes lament-like and the musical language incorporates elements of choro. This two-movement work started as an exercise in 20th century music. The main theme of the first movement, a modinha, which is a Portuguese and Brazilian love song from the 19th century, is built upon interval classes [3,1]. This motive is expanded and varied throughout the entire movement. The second movement is inspired in a very strong Brazilian dance called zambê.

-Liduino Pitombeira 

        pitombeira.com

Program Note: 

21st Century (2023). For trumpet, bass trombone & piano. Illusion is a general commentary to the fact that life is mysterious and generally, uncertain, constantly shifting. We try to influence what happens but usually, outside forces determine the direction of our lives. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between illusion and reality, and, in fact, often people much prefer illusion to reality.

Mv. 1 - Illusion starts out with an obscure time signature and is constantly shifting tonalities so for a while, you aren't quite sure where you are. Life is full of such deceptions.

Mv. 2 - Fill the Wine Cup is a series of drinking songs with a lot of gaiety and rollocking humour as the party gets more raucous, but eventually things get a little blurry and bombastic and the party winds down. The trombone, due to its ability to imitate drunken reeling with glissandos, is often cast in this role.

M. 3 - Destiny seems to march on and on, with mankind hoping to control their future, but the implication is that fate is more powerful than one can control.

M. 4 - The ultimate illusion: a Political Debate. The trombone starts out as the first candidate, and the trumpet is the other. The music is circus-like as befits many heated debates.

         – Elizabeth  Raum

    elizabethraum.com