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Perpetua wins the 2021 American Bandmasters Association Sousa-ABA-Ostwald


Am so happy and honoured to share that PERPETUA has won the American Bandmasters Association 2021 Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Composition Contest.

Am so grateful to Foothills Concert Band and their conductor Anthony Reimer for commissioning Perpetua.

Congratulations to the other finalists for their wonderful compositions: Haley Woodrow, Daisuke Shimizu, and Aaron Perrine

You can hear the piece (performed by Winnipeg Wind Ensemble, conducted by Jacqueline Dawson) and read the score at the link below.

https://meechanmusic.com/music/perpetua/


A blog post to (hopefully) make it clear which version of Song of Hope it is you are looking for :)


I get a fair few questions about the different versions of Song of Hope – hopefully this blog post will help make things a bit more clear.

Firstly…why does the piece exist and why are there so many versions?

When Ryan (Anthony) first heard the middle movement of my cornet concerto Milestone (a movement that is somewhat unoriginally called “Song”) he was battling Multiple Myeloma, as he would do for the rest of his life. In one of those moments you can’t really explain “Song” spoke to him – it sounded like hope (he lived his battle with the motto: Music = Hope). He asked me to write a different ending (originally it was a quiet, reflective end – Ryan wanted something triumphant), and to adapt it so that he could play it solo, as a duo, or as a trio (as he would say – “no one fights these battles alone and I want that to be represented by having more than one soloist). He asked that the piece be named “Song Of Hope” (or, as it often gets referred to “Song For Hope” – which is the name of the documentary made about his life – more on that here), and, in order for him to play it on every concert, that it be arranged for concert band, brass band, brass ensemble, symphony orchestra, piano, etc. etc..

I miss Ryan dearly every day, he understood the power of music more than perhaps anyone else I’ve ever met.

The different versions…

Okay…so here’s how this works. The versions listed below can be played with 1, 2, or 3 soloists. The set of music is the same. Each set comes with the original solo part. If you require the parts for 2 or 3 soloists there is a free download link on the relevant webpage that will download a PDF file with those parts and also an instruction sheet as to which parts in the accompaniment should be left out (it’s all pretty straightforward). NOTE: the link to download the PDF file will only be viewable on larger screens and so may not display on your cell phone.

Alongside those versions above there is a piano accompaniment. There’s not a specific 2 or 3 trumpet version for that – any of the download links above will work with the piano accompaniment.

There are also three different versions of the piece that don’t require a soloist. These are:


Changes in the way we handle PDF files


Hi all –

The website is undergoing a few changes in order to help streamline the process for buying and distributing PDF downloads. Over the next month or so more and more titles will be available as immediate PDF downloads, enabling you to get access to the music even faster.


Website update – Sunday 14 June 2020


Thanks for coming to the website. It is undergoing some changes today (Sunday 14 June 2020) – if you run in to any issues as it is updates please email pete@pmcomposer.info

Thanks!


Fragile Oasis picked as the set test for the Spring Festival, Blackpool, England


Fragile Oasis has been picked for the Senior Cup brass band competition, part of the Spring Festival held in at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England, on Saturday May 13.

Originally commissioned by the Leyland Band and Michael Bach (partly funded by The John Golland Trust), this is the first time it has been used as a set test piece having previously been used as an own choice selection in brass band contests on three different continents.

Click here to purchase the music from MeechanMusic.com

Further information can be found from the British Bandsman website.

A soundcloud clip of the premiere performance by Leyland Band and Michael Bach, at the European Brass Band Championships 2013, held in Oslo, can be heard below.

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University of Saskatchewan Wind orchestra CD release


skyscapes-coverThroughout the last academic year, the University of Saskatchewan Wind orchestra under the baton of Dr. Darrin Oehlerking, have recorded a CD of my music, which will be released this coming weekend (Sat 29 October 2016). They chose repertoire that had been commissioned and/or premiered by Saskatchewan bands (I.S.S. Flyover, Skyscapes, Zenith and Autumn Falling), alongside several other works between grade 2 – 4 levels.

The recording also features Professor Dean McNeill on trumpet (Apex), Dr. Garry Gable narrating Macbeth’s monologue as part of their recording of Lament (from Macbeth), and members of Ms. Colleen Dueck and her Grade 4 class at Lakeridge School in Saskatoon (Letters for Home).

I’d like to publically thank all involved in the project – all the members of the UofS Wind Orchestra, Darrin, Dean, Garry, Wayne Giesbrecht (who did an incredible job not just in recording the band, but in the editing during post-production).

For further details as to how to get a copy, contact Darrin Oehlerking – darrin.oehlerking@usask.ca

Tray cardFull track listing:

I.S.S. Flyover
Letters for Home
March: insieme
Lament (from Macbeth)
Apex
Forgotten Children
Zenith
Autumn Falling
Skyscapes
Song of Hope

 


Alexis Demailly interview


Alexis Demailly (Principal Cornet of the National Opera Orchestra of Paris) commissioned a new work for cornet/trumpet and string quartet (titled “Meditation”) from me last year, and has recently recorded it ready for his new CD release “Fantasque” – where Alexis is accompanied by the Urban String Quartet.

Ahead of the release, he has given a very interesting interview on 4barsrest.com, where he talks about the project as a whole, the composers involved and why he commissioned them. As a composer, it’s always nice to read/hear such kind words about your music, especially when it’s from a musician such as Alexis (I’m also described as “young” by the interviewer, so of course it is a good interview….).

I’ve heard the final edit of Meditation, and the playing and musicianship are absolutely stunning – can’t wait to hear the whole CD!

Peter’s music is refined, with beautiful strands of melodies and sublime underlying harmonies that are enough to stand on their own.” – Alexis Demailly

Click here to read the interview.


The Legend of King Arthur at the National Finals @ RAH


The Legend of King Arthur has been selected for the Championship Section of the National Brass Band Championships, held in the Royal Albert Hall, on October 11 2014.

More info can be found on the piece here – including how to buy sets of music and extra scores, and study scores will be available on the day at the RAH.


Fragile Oasis wind orchestra commissioning consortium


A consortium of wind bands came together to commission the wind orchestra scoring of my work for brass band, Fragile Oasis. It was completed in 2014 and was commissioned by a consortium of the following bands:

Agrupación Músico-Cultural “Las Musas” de Guadalupe (Murcia)Dr. José Ibáñez BarrachinaSpain
Band of the Coldstream GuardsMajor Darren WolfendaleUK
Borge MusikkorpsSverre Stakston OlsrudNorway
The Brooklyn Wind SymphonyJeff W. Ball, Artistic DirectorUSA
Dunshan Symphonic Wind OrchestraAdrian SchneiderChina
Koninklijke harmonie Ste. Cecilia ZeleBart PicqueurBelgium
Musikgesellschaft EmmenManuel ImhofSwitzerland
University of Saskatchewan Wind OrchestraDr. Darrin OehlerkingCanada

The work will be available to all non-consortium bands from April 2014. Details of the various premieres of the consortium bands will be found on this site (Borge Musikkorps – 19 Oct, Las Musas – 9 Nov, BWS – 21 March 2015)

You can hear the recording made by Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra below