StarDancer

Instrumentation
Bells (may double with Vibraphone)
Xylophone (may double with Marimba)

Marimba 1 [optional]
Marimba 2 [optional]
(may share one 4.3-octave instrument)

Timpani (3 drums) [optional]
Percussion 1: Triangle, Snare Drum
Percussion 2: Suspended Cymbal, 2 Concert Toms
Percussion 3: Concert Bass Drum, Shaker, Tambourine

Program Notes
StarDancer is dedicated to & inspired by my 3-year-old daughter, Penelope, as she has started expressing greater interest in the moon and the stars. Nothing gets her out of bed faster in the early morning than asking if she wants to go look at the stars before the sun comes up. She also has a great affinity for dancing to anything that moves her. This usually means there are drums & hand-clapping involved. From the opening measures of the piece, sparkling sounds permeate the ensemble with high glockenspiel, xylophone, triangle, and suspended cymbal. As it evolves, the piece alternates between light-hearted, spinning dances and more raucous, foot-stomping dances. I just kept asking myself, “What would Penelope like to hear?”

StarDancer was commissioned by the Hawaii Youth Percussion Ensemble, Caden Hong, Commissioned Project Director (Honolulu, Hawaii, 2019).

Performance Notes
The piece may be performed with as few as 5 players (Bells, Xylophone, & the 3 Percussion parts). If you add a 6th player, add Timpani first. If you have even more players, add Marimba 2, then Marimba 1, and then you can experiment with doubling the Bells and Xylophone with Vibraphone and Marimba, respectively. Additionally, the three percussion parts are written so they are each playable by one person or they may be split into two players each.