Sparking Angels

concert band; 2009; 6'30

Published by Daehn Publications (DP200117) and available from music retailers everywhere

Listen:

Commissioned by a consortium of Austin-area schools in memory of Diane Gorzycki

Consortium Participants:

Anderson High School Band                    Austin High School Band                Bailey Middle School Band                Bear Branch Junior High

Bowie High School Band Boosters         Brenda Lee Gabert                            Connally High School Band                Covington Middle School

David Lee Sellars                                       Denise Bothwell Breedlove             Dessau Middle School Band              Directors Choice, LLP

Dripping Springs Middle School            Duncanville Band Boosters            Henderickson High School Band       James-Douglas Buck Palmer

Jay C. and Denise L. Baker                        Jennifer Hutcheson                          Karon Rilling                                         Kelly Lane Middle School Band

Ken and Anne-Marie Crone                     Kenneth and Karen Stern                 Lafalco Robinson                                 Mark of Excellence

Martin and Ellen Glass                            Michael and Susan Boone              Murchison Middle School                  National Wind Band Honors

Park Crest Middle School Band              Patrick and Susan NoGay               Paula A. Crider                                      Pflugerville Middle School Band

Pflugerville High School Band                Randall and Theresa Parks             Randy Bryant                                        Rick Yancey

Susan S. Palmer                                         Taylor Middle School                       The Branson Family                            The Fisher Family

Thrall Tiger Band, Thrall ISD                   Tommy Cowan                                    Westlake Band Parents, Inc.            Westview Middle School Band

      The University of Texas at Austin Alumni Band                        University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest J. Butler School of Music

Premiere information:

Premiered by the Bailey Middle School Band, conducted by Bill Haehnel, on May 14th, 2009.

Program notes:

There were a couple of things everyone I talked to that knew Diane told me-- one of them was her vast and boundless energy.  I think that "stuck"

with me-- the piece is very kinetic, and even when some element of the music becomes less intense (say, a soft section), there is still a pulsing,

driving force to the music that never really stops.  The music has a sheen to it-- it's bright, always spinning out, with flashes of color; and a real

sense of joy throughout.

The title of the piece is Sparking Angels.  I think it fits best, because it can have a lot of different meanings.  For me, it is a metaphor for what really

wonderful teachers like Diane do.  They sort of "spark" students into being better people.  Of course, "sparks" are about beginnings, about starting

things that continue indefinitely-- this seemed somehow appropriate for a piece in honor of someone like Diane, who I know "sparked" a lot of

young minds.  I hope a title like this really allows people to take it how they feel it best fits their own way of honoring and remembering Diane.

I sincerely hope that this piece does justice to Diane and captures something of her energy.  Thank you to everyone involved in this project; I am

terribly humbled at being included in such an important and positive act of love.

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