Where Dreams Dance (Euphonium + Piano)

Commissioned by Jay Hagy and the Canyon Vista Middle School Band for their performance at the 77th Annual Midwest Clinic, Where Dreams Dance was inspired by a poem by Dr. Antony Theodore titled “There is a Land Where Dreams Dance.” The opening stanzas may be found below. The piece begins simply enough with the solo euphonium stating the main theme from which all other thematic material is derived. What follows are three variations, each accompanied by a different section of the ensemble – first the dark & driving percussionists, followed by the warm & reverent brass leading us out of the darkness, to the gently flowing woodwinds leading us into the light. The tutti finale of the work features a brighter tempo, with the saxes and upper brass echoing the main theme while the soloist pieces together other motives heard throughout the piece in virtuosic flourishes, driving to a dramatic conclusion.

There is a land
where Dreams dance
in tremendous joy.

They dance on the angel's wings,
on the soft tail of the white dove.

They lie flat and sleep
on the dancing feathers
of the colorful peacock.

At the birth of the dusk
dreams fly down
from the heavenly caverns
to earth's sweet shore.

As the moon shines
they begin to dance
on the shining waters of the mild flowing river.