for string orchestra with percussion

I. West African (Click here to see sample pages of I. West African)

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II. East Asian (Click here to see sample pages of II. East Asian)

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III. Bohemian (Click here to see sample pages of III. Bohemian)

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Recording: The Brookfield East High School Chamber Orchestra, Lyda Osinga, conductor
(recorded live at Carnegie Hall, March 21, 2008)

Duration: ca. 16′ (I. 5′, II. 6’30”, III. 4’30”)
Composed: 1996

Three Excursions 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 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.

Note: While written for youth orchestra, Three Excursions is also appropriate for community and small professional orchestras, and has been particularly successful for children’s concerts.