Kitchen Party

Program Notes

Kyle McAllister approached me looking for a showpiece for euphonium that would push him expressively and technically. I figured this would be a good chance to write something in the style of the Nova Scotian fiddle music I grew up listening to, so I decided to compose a set of tunes that has the same musical feel but fits the euphonium well. For how close brass instrument traditions are to various Celtic music traditions, there isn't a lot of overlap for "classical" brass players, so this set challenges the euphonium player in a different way than most showpieces.

Instrumentation:

The only instrument that is specifically required for this piece is the euphonium in the primary melody role; beyond that, I wanted to make this piece playable in a variety of contexts, including beyond the classical concert hall. The piece includes written parts for euphonium (T.C./B.C.) and piano, as well as a written bass line (concert pitch for tubas, 8vb for basses) that roughly follows the left hand of the piano part. There are also chords written out for pianists, guitarists, accordionists, etc. to play, and anyone playing the bass line is more than welcome to walk along to the chords however they see fit. The set could be played by only a euphonium and a piano (reading and/or improvising), or a euphonium and any combination of chord-playing, bass-line and percussion instruments. As well, there is a concert pitch treble transposition of the melody for any traditional instrument who'd like to double the melody (fiddle, tin whistle, etc.). I've had the most fun playing this style with a ragtag group of musicians coming together to play together; anyone performing this piece is warmly encouraged to similarly explore different performance arrangements.

Thank you to the Kitchen Party Consortium members:

Standard members

Kyle McAllister (leader)

Dr. Zack Corpus, University of Memphis

Isabelle McNeill, University of Prince Edward Island (grad.)

Dr. Carson King-Fournier, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Emily Riding, freelance artist

Genevieve Clarkson, Oklahoma City University

Allison Penwell, Eastern Shore Consolidated School

Student members

Sophia Rivera, University of Memphis

Bryson Harding, University of Memphis

Tommy Vo, University of North Texas/Royal Canadian Artillery Band

Loke Lovett, University of North Texas

Blake Lile, University of North Texas

Jonathan Wang, University of Toronto

Srutheka Umakanthan, Nipissing University

Supporters

Daniel Moser, freelance artist

Caitlin Strong, freelance artist