Program Notes

             “Plums in the Icebox” is somewhat based on the poem “This Is Just To Say” by William Carlos Williams. I say somewhat as it is not based on the poem as a whole both the imagery in the line “I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox”. This image of plums a beautifully coloured sweet fruit in an frigid icebox was enough to conjure up an entire piece. My goal was to create a piece that was short and sweet simple with rich harmonies that represent the colours of and sweetness of the plum with long lyrical phrases and sparkly mallet percussions to emphasize the cold and shininess of the icebox.

              This piece was written for the CMEA Northern Section Jr High Band under the direction of Ryan Heimlich. This commission was of particular importance to me as this was the first honor band I ever got to be a part of. This honor group was what made me pursue other honor groups and festivals which lead to my ultimate decision to pursue a career in music. I can say with confidence that if I had never performed with this ensemble I would be living a drastically different life, and I am forever grateful to have had the chance to perform in the ensemble. To be on the other side as a composer writing a piece for the group is surreal and which is why I was so excited about this project. One of my goals with this piece was to write something that had elements of some of the music I got to play when I was in the group in the hopes of providing some of the young musicians with the same experience that I had.