Aurora
for wind ensemble (2018) | Recording: USC Thornton Wind Ensemble; H. Robert Reynolds, conductor
Aurora was written in the fall of 2018, in Los Angeles as part of USC Thornton School of Music’s “New Music for Wind Ensemble.” The piece evokes the shimmering textures of the northern aurora borealis in a saturated winds texture complemented by nordic, soaring melodic lines in the brass. A prolonged tam-tam roll grows over the arc of the piece and is then joined by rhythmic percussion to overtake the brutalized sound of the ensemble and draw the piece to a contemplative close.