City Beautiful (2019)

for Orchestra

Duration: 6:30 minutes

Instrumentation: 2,2,2,2 -4,3,3,1, timpani, 2 perc, strings

Percussion details: 
Glockenspiel, Crash Cymbal, Triangle, Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum, Tam Tam

Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced

Commission: Youth Symphony of Kansas City, Steven D. Davis, Conductor

Premiere: Youth Symphony of Kansas City, May 5, 2019; Kansas City, MO

Program Note: “A city is not beautiful by accident” writes historian William H. Wilson. “City Beautiful” takes its title and inspiration from the architectural movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that gave us the boulevard and parks system in Kansas City. The movement had an impact on many other US cities as well, including Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. to name a few. One of the principal philosophies underlying the movement and one that inspired me to write this composition, was the belief in the “shaping influence of beauty” on society. Advocates believed that beautification of our physical surroundings would promote a sense of community and increase the quality of life in cities around the country. In many ways, I feel music has a similar power to influence and shape a community. This composition was commissioned as a celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City and I cannot help but ponder the wonderful shaping influence of this organization over sixty years of music making in our community. Commissioned by the Symphony Orchestra and conductor Steven D. Davis of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, in celebration of its 60th Anniversary Season.