Three Excursions (1996) The Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, Paul Perry, conductor (recorded at the Music in the Mountains Festival, Nevada City, California, 1998) ... I. West African (ca. 5:00, playing now) ... II. East Asian (ca. 6:30) ... III. Bohemian (ca. 5:15)

About the piece "Three Excursions" for string orchestra and percussion was commissioned by the Virginia unit of the American String Teachers Association in conjunction with the Youth Orchestras of Prince William, in Woodbridge, Virginia. The goal of the commission was to create a new upper-level youth orchestra work for string orchestra and percussion that would incorporate primarily non-Western musical traditions, giving students a chance to explore the music of cultures other than their own. To this end, I have created a set of exercises, both technical and “cultural”, which include additional background material. These are available upon request.

"Three Excursions" is gratefully dedicated to Susan Kervick, President of the Virginia Unit of the American String Teachers Association, and the musicians of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William, Christopher Memoli, conductor. It was first performed by the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William on November 22, 1996, as part of the 1996 Virginia Music Educators Association In- Service Conference, held at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

While written for youth orchestra, "Three Excursions" is also appropriate for community and small professional orchestras, and is particularly well-suited for educational concerts. The second movement is also available separately as "Lagoon", a short meditation appropriate for orchestras of all levels.

Program notes: Three Excursions I. West African ... The far-off beating of a bass drum heralds the approach of a procession to a small West African village. The jubilant party arrives, and the villagers dance in celebration as they follow the procession through the village. The procession continues on its way, the sound of its revelry lingering, then fading. ... The musical language of this movement is based on an African hexatonic scale (C D E F G A).

II. East Asian ... Traditional Eastern music frequently focuses on timbre and articulation of individual notes, balance of sound and silence, fluidity and freedom of horizontal line, and definition of musical space. While Western music is often perceived as being principally goal-oriented, traditional Eastern music tends towards a celebration of the present. ... The melodic and harmonic materials used in East Asian are based on a pentatonic scale called the “minyo” (D F G A C), which is often used in the folk music of Japan.

III. Bohemian ... In "Bohemian", gypsies whirl around a village bonfire in dances which are in turn rhythmic, lyrical, and playful.

Instrumentation Violin 1/ Violin 2/ Viola/ Violoncello/ Contrabass/ Timpani I-IV (mvt. III only)/ 2 Percussion (Claves, Castanets (mounted), Rattle (quiet, dry), Woodblock (large, mounted), Finger Cymbals, Triangle, Cowbell (large, mounted), Gong, Suspended Cymbal (triangle beater, soft yarn), Tom-toms (3), Congas (2),Tambourine, Bass Drum)