Heroes Around Us, The

Instrumentation
Bells & Crotales [2 octaves]
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2
Vibraphone 3*
Chimes & Xylophone
Marimba 1 [4-octave], Low Drum (optional)
Marimba 2 [4-octave], Low Drum (optional)
Marimba 3 [4.3-octave], Low Drum (optional)
Marimba 4 [5-octave], Low Drum (optional)
Timpani (4 drums), Sizzle Ride Cymbal
Percussion 1: Ocean Drum, Hi-Hat, Bongos, Suspended Cymbal
Percussion 2: 4 Concert Toms, Mounted Djembe, China Cymbal
Percussion 3: Concert Bass Drum, Multi_Bass Drum, Tam-Tam [shared]
Percussion 4: Tam-Tam [shared], Bell Tree, Claves, Sleigh Bells
Percussion 5*: 2 Triangles, Shaker [shared], Tambourine [shared]
Percussion 6*: Concert Bass Drum, Tambourine [shared], Shaker [shared]

*The piece was composed without these parts, but the addition of them enhances the orchestration.

Program Notes

My relationship with the Mt. Lebanon Percussion Program dates back to May 2008 when I flew out to work with the group on my first large percussion ensemble work “Limerick Daydreams.” I was blown away by the level of talent and artistry from a high school ensemble. I returned in May 2010 as a guest soloist performing David Gillingham’s “Concerto No. 2 for Marimba & Percussion Orchestra, which we also performed at the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the MTL Percussion Program, I was commissioned to write “The Dreamers of Dreams” and came up for the premiere in May 2014. I am deeply honored to have been asked once again to compose a piece for the 40th anniversary and grateful for such a fruitful and rewarding friendship.

The Heroes Around Us draws inspiration from a poem by artist/writer/philosopher Kai Skye (formerly Brian Andreas):

once you begin to see the heroes around you, the ones that stand quietly and love the world with everything they are, it is hard to miss that you are bigger because of them & don't be surprised if one day you choose to stand up, too & show what happens when you live that kind of life.

For a program with such a storied history, heroes can be found in everyone – from leaders & teachers to students & parents. I wanted to capture the positivity of this poem with an expansive opening that allows us to take a few deep breaths, reflecting on the ways we have been affected by others in our lives. You will hear fragments of the primary “celebration” theme in the marimbas, asking you to breathe in, immediately followed by falling chords in the metallic keyboards, asking that you breathe out. Elsewhere in the background texture, you hear gentle swells of the ocean dim and occasional quiet heartbeats in the drums, hinting at driving rhythms to come.

What follows is a rousing celebration with memorable melodies and toe-tapping rhythms. This is the first time we hear the “celebration” theme in its entirety, first in the bells & vibraphones, then in the marimbas. The “breathing out” theme is now presented in faster syncopated presentation. The piece continues to alternate presentations of these two contrasting themes in fresh ways, always leaning into forward motion and positivity. Just for fun, I have hidden a few subtle nods to the piece I wrote for the program’s 30th anniversary.