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LATEST NEWS – Concert

MIDWEST CLINIC 2023

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that these pieces will be performed at this year’s Midwest Clinic in Chicago! Down on the Delta – Grade 2 to be performed by Rushing Middle School; Fandango – Grade 3 to be performed by Keller Middle School; Energy Ball – Grade 2 to be performed by Canyon Vista Middle School; Byzantine Dances – Grade 2 to be performed by Westwood High School; and All That We Are – Grade 3 to be premiered by Coppell High School. Also check out the brand new Dedication Fanfare – Grade 2, at the New Music Reading Session!

 

RECENT CONCERT ADDITIONS TO STATE LISTS

Several pieces have now been added to state concert recommended lists.

TEXAS: A Jubilant Spirit Grade 1, Down on the Delta Grade 2, Rainbow in the Clouds Grade 3, Dances for the Muse, Terpsichore Grade 5, and Bright Light in the World Grade 5.

GEORGIA: Danza De Espana Grade 2, Byzantine DancesGrade 3, and Pipe and Thistle Grade 3.

FLORIDA: Dances for the Muse, Terpsichore Grade 4.

Click on the Concert Band page to check them out!

RECENT SOLO/ENSEMBLE ADDITIONS TO STATE LISTS

Several Solo/Ensemble works have now been added to the Texas UIL PML!

METALmorphosis, Trumpet Octet, Advanced Class 1

Night in Ole San Antone, Clarinet Quartet, Advanced Class 1

Two Spirited Dances, by Ruth Brittin, WW Quintet, Medium Class 2 or 3, depending on movements performed

Click on the Solo/Ensemble page to check them out!

MIDWEST CLINIC 2022

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that six pieces will be performed at this year’s Midwest Clinic in Chicago! Dances for the Muse, Terpsichore – Grade 4.5 to be performed by Vandercook College; Alegria (World Premiere!) – Grade 3 to be premiered by Artie Henry Middle School; Beautiful River – Grade 3 to be performed by Allen High School; Squirrel Chase – Grade 2 to be performed by Creek Valley Middle School; Moon Song and Tribal Dance – Grade 1.5 to be performed by Dreyfoos School of the Arts; and Night in Ole San Antone – Sax Quartet to be performed by Allen High School. Please stop by to check out these performances if you can!

Fearless – Grade 3 will also be played at the Band Reading Session on Monday morning at 10:30 AM in W178.

BANDWORLD TOP 100 2022

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that four pieces were recently named to Bandworld Magazine’s Top 100! Byzantine Dances – Grade 2, Down on the Delta – Grade 2, Land of Enchantment – Grade 3, and Dances for the Muse, Terpsichore – Grade 5. Click on the Concert Band page to check them out!

MIDWEST CLINIC 2021

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that five pieces will be performed at this year’s Midwest Clinic! La Terre Sacree – Grade 4.5 to be premiered by the Keller HS Wind Ensemble; Where the Waters Meet – Grade 3 to be performed by the Mansfield Wind Symphony; The Great Green Kazoo – Grade 2 to be performed by the Tex Hill MS Honors Band; Rhythmania! – Grade 1.5 to be performed by the Leander HS Wind Ensemble; and Softly Speaks the Night – Grade 1.5 to be performed by the Vandegrift HS Wind Ensemble. Please stop by and check out any of these performances if you happen to be in Chicago!

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE TX UIL PML

Two more pieces have been added to the TX Prescribed Music List: Pipe and Thistle (Sketches of Scotland) Grade 3, and Kalos Eidos (Kaleidoscope) Grade 3. Click on the Concert Band page to check them out!

MIDWEST CLINIC 2019

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that six pieces will be performed at this year’s Midwest Clinic! The Rusty Bucket – Grade 5 to be performed by the Central JH Symphonic Band; Rainbow in the Clouds – Grade 3 to be performed by the Berkner HS Symphonic Band; Kalos Eidos – Grade 3 to be performed by the Killian MS Honors Band; Sunchaser – Grade 2 to be performed by the Claudia Taylor Johnson HS Wind Ensemble; Pipe and Thistle – Grade 3 to be performed by the Amador Valley HS Wind Ensemble I; and Nomadic Journey – Grade 2 to be premiered by the Ronald Reagan HS Chamber Orchestra. Feel free to check out these pieces if you can!!

WOMEN BAND DIRECTORS INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION WINNER

Carol Brittin Chambers’ newest band piece, Kalos Eidos (Kaleidoscope), was selected as the winner of the 1st Annual WBDI Composition Competition! The piece is a Grade 3 and is approximately 3:45 minutes long. It will have its premiere in October 2019 at the University of Southern Mississippi.

MIDWEST CLINIC 2018

Aspenwood Music is excited to announce that four pieces will be performed at this year’s Midwest Clinic! Byzantine Dances – Grade 2 to be premiered by the Ronald Reagan HS Wind Ensemble; To Create a Voice – Grade 3 to be performed by the Keller MS Wind Ensemble; March of the Freedom Fighters – Grade 2 to be performed by the Shadow Ridge MS Honor Winds; and Sunchaser – Grade 2 to be conducted by Jerry Junkin at the clinic entitled Directors for Diversity. Come check out these new pieces!!

THREE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE TX UIL PML

Three new pieces have now been added to the TX Prescribed Music List: The Rusty Bucket Grade 4, Sunchaser Grade 2, and Night in Ole San Antone Class 1 Sax Quartet. Click on the Concert Band and Solo/Ensemble pages to check them out!

TO CREATE A VOICE

To Create A Voice premiered October 2017 in Stockton, CA, at the Valley Concert Band’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. This Grade 3 piece was commissioned in memory and celebration of Chris Anderson, a local musician, educator, and beloved member of the community. To read an article about this commission and event, click here: http://www.recordnet.com/entertainmentlife/20171010/voice-that-will-live-on-in-song

EVERYTHING BAND PODCAST: EPISODE 16

Check out this Everything Band Podcast by Mark J. Connor,  in which composer Carol Brittin Chambers talks about writing marching band shows and the twists and turns of her fascinating musical career. Topics covered include: 

  • Carol’s background as a trumpet player and pianist
  • Teaching good fundamentals and skills and teaching in Texas
  • Moving from being a full time band director to a full time composer
  • Writing marching shows
  • Carol’s concert band music and her creative process

TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO INTERVIEW AND PERFORMANCE

Congratulations to Ronald Reagan High School’s Quid Nunc Saxophone Quartet, who is the winner of the 2017 “Sounds Like KPAC” competition! The quartet played Night in Ole San Antone, which was commissioned for the 2015 Midwest Clinic. Members of the quartet are Ryan Montemayor, Joshua Milford-Rosales, Jamal Hawkins, and Nick Koutras. Listen to the radio interview of director Greg White and the students, which gives some insight into the inspiration for the piece, then hear the performance itself!

SMARTMUSIC SPOTLIGHT

Check out this SmartMusic Featured Spotlight on Carol Brittin Chambers and Beginning Band. Here you can hear audio recordings of two pieces, Noble Procession and Moon Song and Tribal Dance, as well as read a Q/A interview containing performance tips, notes on inspiration, and more!

NIGHT FURY

Night Fury has now been added to the TX UIL Grade 1 List! Congratulations on the premier of one of Chambers’ newest works. This Grade 1.5 piece was commissioned by the Argyle Middle School Band in Argyle, TX, Evan Fletcher, director, and it premiered on October 27, 2016. An epic tale of mythology and dragons, look for copies on the shelf in May! 

WESTON FANFARE

Weston Fanfare was commissioned by the Texas Lutheran University School of Music for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Caroline M. Weston Center for the Performing Arts, scheduled for completion in December 2017. The TLU Brass Ensemble, directed by Professor Beth Bronk, premiered the fanfare at the ceremony on October 8, 2016.

DANZA DE ESPANA

Danza de Espana has now been added to the TX UIL Grade 2 List! This piece, published by Carl Fischer, can be purchased from any sheet music dealer. Depicting a traditional Spanish dance in 3/4, it incorporates varied articulations and authentic instruments (castanets), and it serves as a wonderful tool for teaching style to young musicians.

JW PEPPER EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Congratulations on Cedar Canyon Sketches, Softly Speaks the Night, Cruisin’ Bluesin’ and Rock Attack being awarded the Editors’ Choice Award from JW Pepper Music. Awards are given based on ranges, difficulty, playability, and more!

SUNCHASER

Congratulations on the premier of one of Chambers’ newest works, Sunchaser. This Grade 2 piece was commissioned by the Hal Peterson Middle School Band in Kerrville, TX, Susie Jaksik, director. The opening few measures are meant to portray the dawn of a new day, which quickly turns into a spirited adventure full of energy and life.

TMEA 2016

Congratulations to the Brazoswood High School, TX Saxophone Ensemble, named “Sara and Friends,” on its invitation to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association in San Antonio, TX in February 2016. The ensemble, under the direction of Benjamin Alaniz, performed Chambers’ Night in Ole San Antone.

MIDWEST CLINIC 2015

Congratulations on the premier of Chambers’ newest works at the 2015 Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Hendrickson HS Saxophone Ensemble, directed by Edward Lopez, premiered an arrangement of Sia’s Chandelier.The Ronald Reagan HS Saxophone Quartet, directed by Greg White, premiered an original composition entitled Night in Ole San Antone.

THE RUSTY BUCKET (and other juke joints)

The Rusty Bucket premiered summer of 2014 at Texas Lutheran University’s Summer Music Academy, Beth Bronk, Director. It is an Americana piece in the style of an Irish or Scottish reel meant to portray the liveliness and fun of an old-time dance. Come on, get a little rowdy, and we’ll see you at the dance hall on Saturday night! 

SO WONDROUS BRIGHT

Congratulations on the premier of one of Chambers’ newest works, So Wondrous Bright, which debuted on December 6, 2013. This Grade 4 piece is based on a Puerto Rican carol, and features a variety of colors, textures, and upbeat rhythms and riffs. Dr. Doug Boyer and the Texas Lutheran University School of Music commissioned this piece to be played at Christmas Vespers by the TLU Wind Ensemble, Beth Bronk, director. To hear audio, click on the CONCERT BAND page.

JUMPSTART!

Jumpstart!  was commissioned by the Trinity Springs Middle School Band, Directors: Dean Surface, Jennifer Stokes, and Aaron Trewitt. The piece, which debuted in May 2013, was written in memory and honor of James “Jumpstart” McCann, a student who played trumpet in the band. Jumpstart! – representing all things in life that are exciting and just plain fun! To hear audio, click on the CONCERT BAND page.

JESUS, SPRINGING

Jesus, Springing is a wind arrangement of Bob Chilcott’s original choral work (© Oxford University Press 2011). The Texas Lutheran University’s Orchestral Winds and Percussion, Beth Bronk, director, debuted this piece on November 30, 2012 at the annual Christmas Vespers program. We enjoyed Bob Chilcott’s visit to our campus in January 2013!

BEAUTIFUL RIVER

Beautiful River has been added to the TX UIL Grade 3 List! This piece is distributed through RBC Music, San Antonio, TX.

The Texas Lutheran University Wind Ensemble, directed by Beth Bronk, premiered Chambers’ Beautiful River in November of 2009. The piece is an arrangement of Robert Lowry’s hymn, Shall We Gather at the River, and it is dedicated to the memory of the late TLU Professor, Linda Ann Harton Clark, who passed away Spring 2009.

AVE MARIA

Congratulations on the premier of Chambers’ Ave Maria in December 2010.  The Texas Lutheran University Wind Ensemble premiered this arrangement of Kevin A. Memley’s inspiring vocal work (© 2009 by Pavane Publishing). The piece was part of the TLU Christmas Vespers program, which takes place every December in Jackson Auditorium.

CEDAR CANYON SKETCHES

The Tejeda Middle School Wind Ensemble, directed by Bernard Rosenberg, premiered Chambers’ Cedar Canyon Sketches in May 2010. Tejeda MS is located in San Antonio’s North East ISD. The programmatic piece takes the listener on a journey through the Texas Hill Country. To hear audio, click on the CONCERT BAND page.