BE PART OF COMMISSIONING A NEW WORK FOR WIND BAND
SONG OF THE ANCIENT NIGHT: A CONSORTIUM COMMISSION FOR WIND BAND
Join me, Jonathan Russell, in creating a new work for wind band. Inspired by the night sounds I heard on a recent trip to a remote rainforest, “Song of the Ancient Night” will be a loosely notated meditation with flexible instrumentation that invites musicians of various levels to hone their ears and explore their creativity. Learn more below!
ABOUT ME
Welcome! I’m Jon. Some of you may know me from my work as a (bass) clarinetist and composer. Some of you may not. For those of you who are new to my work, let me tell you a bit about who I am, what I do, and how it relates to this wind band consortium.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been at the forefront of creating and performing innovative new music for clarinet and especially bass clarinet. I was a longtime member of the legendary heavy metal-inspired Edmund Welles bass clarinet quartet, and I am currently a member of the Sqwonk bass clarinet duo and the founder and leader of Boston’s Improbable Beasts bass clarinet ensemble. I’ve composed numerous new solo, chamber, large ensemble, and concerto works for clarinet(s) and bass clarinet(s). I’ve also composed for all the usual ensembles composers write for (string quartets, mixed chamber ensembles, choirs, orchestras, etc.), but the clarinet world is where I’ve made my biggest mark. (Read my full bio here.)
BUT, before all that, I was a band geek. I remember clearly the sense of wonder I felt playing the music from “Gremlins” and “Batman” in my middle school band for the first time. I remember the excitement of marching with my high school marching band in competitions and playing adventurous new music in our outstanding wind ensemble. Some of my earliest compositions were for my high school wind ensemble, including a clarinet concerto with which I won the school’s annual concerto competition my senior year.
In the decades since, life has led me along other paths, and I’ve composed little for band. But I have always maintained a warm place in my heart for the band and wind ensemble music that I grew up playing and that informed so much of my earliest composing.
A primary purpose of this consortium is to bring my compositional voice back to the band world, with the creation of a new work for wind band. It will have several specific qualities that will make it a particularly unique contribution to the wind band repertoire, and make it broadly accessible to a wide range of bands. Read on for the full details.
ABOUT THE PIECE: “SONG OF THE ANCIENT NIGHT”
The inspiration for this piece comes from a trip I recently took to a remote region of Costa Rica, where I was staying on a high hill on the edge of the rainforest, overlooking the ocean, surrounded by nature and wildlife. There were, of course, countless differences I noticed upon returning to my home in a medium-sized city in the northeastern US. But the most surprising was how eerily quiet the night now was. In the rainforest, the night teemed with the sounds of insects, frogs, owls, and other unknown creatures; the lapping of waves and the wind in the trees; and just before dawn, the chattering of birds and the haunting wails of the howler monkeys. Here at home, aside from the occasional sounds of cars going by, it was…silent. What had once seemed so appealing about our neighborhood – how quiet it was – now seemed uncanny, even sinister. “We’ve killed the night!” I found myself thinking.
“Song of the Ancient Night” is an attempt to re-imagine those ancient nights on earth, before the spread of modern human civilization and its destruction of habitats, wilderness, and the sounds of the night. It is not intended to literally depict any particular sounds, but rather to evoke the sensations of mystery and wonder I felt during those nights in Costa Rica.
To achieve this effect, the piece will use open-ended notation, providing pitch content and text instructions, but leaving the details open to the players and conductor. No two performances will be exactly alike, as each ensemble follows their own ears and instincts to sculpt their own unique version of the ancient night. This approach will also allow the piece to be successfully performed by ensembles with a wide range of instrumentations and levels.
To give you a flavor of what the piece will sound like, you can listen to a clip of some of my initial ideas, recorded by the ASU Wind Ensemble, HERE.
To see and hear how I have used similar techniques in previous compositions, you can check out “On G” for low clarinets HERE, and “Cascading Resonance” for five pianos and five percussion HERE.
I invite you to join forces with me and the ASU Wind Ensemble, as we collectively imagine the wonder and mystery of the Ancient Night!
THE PROCESS
One of my favorite parts of recent consortia I’ve done has been giving consortium members a window into my creative process. This has included sharing videos of myself discussing my approach to composing the piece, videos of me actually working on the piece, written updates on how I was thinking about the piece, and notation and audio samples of the piece as it unfolded.
I was worried going into it that opening myself up like this would make me self-conscious and potentially inhibit my creative process. In fact, the opposite proved to be true. The act of sharing my work as it progressed was liberating and inspiring. A process that is usually so solitary felt more communal. And I am absolutely convinced that it led to better compositions than I would have created otherwise. As a result, I am excited and eager to engage in this process again, to see what more I can learn from inviting others into my creative world.
TIMELINE
Consortium launch: May 15, 2024
Consortium close: September 15, 2024
New piece will be delivered via email on or before: January 1, 2025
Exclusive performance rights for all consortium members through: January 1, 2026
HOW IT WORKS
As a co-commissioner of the work, you will have exclusive rights to perform the new piece (along with the other co-commissioners) for 12 months after its completion. Your / your ensemble’s name will also be included in the score, program notes, and promotional materials. Additional perks are also available depending on the package you select (see below). If you’re not connected to a wind band but still want to support the work, you can do so by signing up for one of the “Supporter” packages below.
PACKAGES
There are six different consortium packages available at different price points and with different features and perks. Please read on to determine which package is right for you, and then sign up on this google form.
1. STANDARD PACKAGE
– Digital score and parts
– Your / your ensemble’s name included on the score as a consortium member
– 12 months exclusive performance rights (shared with other consortium members)
Price: $250
2. SILVER PACKAGE
– Digital score and parts
– Your / your ensemble’s name included on the score as a consortium member
– 12 months exclusive performance rights (shared with other consortium members)
– Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on the creation process
Price: $300
3. GOLD PACKAGE
– Digital score and parts
– Your / your ensemble’s name included on the score as a consortium member
– 12 months exclusive performance rights (shared with other consortium members)
– Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on the creation process
– One 60-minute (Zoom) coaching on the piece with Jon and the ensemble
Price: $350
4. PLATINUM PACKAGE
– Digital score and parts
– Your / your ensemble’s name included on the score as a consortium member
– 12 months exclusive performance rights (shared with other consortium members)
– Exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on the creation process
– One 60-minute (Zoom) coaching on the piece with Jon and the ensemble
– Two additional 60-minute (Zoom) sessions with Jon on topics of your choice: these could be additional coaching sessions on the piece, sessions with your ensemble or school’s clarinet sections/studios, composition coachings with composers, or however else you would like to spend 2 hours with Jon!
Price: $500
5. Supporter Package
If you don’t lead or play in a wind band, but still want to help support the creation of this new work, this is the package for you! You will have your name included on the score as a consortium member, and you will receive a digital copy of the final score, but you will not have access to the instrumental parts or have performance rights to the work. You can support the work at any level you want, from $50 on up.
PRICE: $50 +
6. Supporter PLUS Package
Same as the “Supporter Package,” but you’ll also get access to the exclusive behind-the-scenes updates on the creation process for this new work. A great choice if you’re not planning to perform the work but still want to gain insight into Jon’s creative process.
PRICE: $100 +
SIGN UP FOR SUPPORTER PLUS PACKAGE
Thanks for your interest in this project!
ANY QUESTIONS?
ASK JON!