​Troy Athens Symphonic Band Debuts Brand-New Piece

Troy Athens Symphonic Band Debuts Brand-New Piece, Plays With Professionals

On December 7th at 7 pm the Athens High School symphonic band has the unique opportunity to perform a world premiere of a new piece of music written by a Michigan composer and featuring a professional bass trombonist.

The piece is written by Ann Arbor composer Chris Hass and was originally written as a Bass Trombone concerto for Wind Ensemble—so the next challenge was to decide who would play it. Hass has worked with Athens’ Director of Bands Adam Cable for the past 3 years, providing custom marching band arrangements, so he knew the excellence he was seeking in high school musicians was there. “I've thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Adam and his ensembles. Adam has always expressed interest in playing one of my compositions with a concert band at the school, so this seemed like a perfect opportunity!”

Hass also connected with colleague Evan Clifton, a bass trombone soloist with Michigan ties currently residing in Nashville and asked him to headline the piece entitled “Violent Shadows.” “‘I chose that name because it showcases the different characters of the bass trombone, from the loud and aggressive side commonly associated with the instrument to the more pure and lyrical side,” said Hass. “It is very rhythmic and technically demanding, so I knew we'd need a great ensemble to pull it off,” said Hass. “I truly appreciate Adam's patience and persistence with premiering this work after it had to be postponed from its original May 2020 concert date.”

“World premieres frankly don’t happen often for a high school group,” said Cable. While it is common to be one of the first few to perform a piece, “it is extremely rare to be the first to perform and have others use our recording to practice,” said Cable. After the concert on Tuesday, the piece will be available to other programs who have commissioned it, including the Monterey Symphony, Wayne State University, Florida State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Elmhurst College and the University of Lethbridge.

Tuesday’s concert will be a culmination of much hard work and practice and will be a joy for Hass especially after the delays due to COVID. “The best moments of being a composer are getting to sit in the audience and just enjoy a piece that you spent weeks, months, or even years working on in solitude, and after 19 months of solitude it's going to be all the more exciting to be in the concert hall hearing one of my favorite bass trombonists perform with one of my favorite concert bands.”

Athens Band Director Adam Cable was thrilled to have his ensemble chosen: “I knew that the students would be excited and that they would rise to the challenge of being the first to perform it,” concluded Cable. “We were disappointed that we couldn't perform it the last 24 months because of COVID, but to be able to perform this on our first concert in two years is truly an honor.”

The concert is free and open to the public. Masks are required for entrance, social distancing will be observed. Athens High School is located at 4333 John R. Road, Troy. For more information, call Athens at 248-823-2900.

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The Athens Band will be rehearsing with Chris and Evan on Tuesday from 9:20-10:20 in the auditorium.