Fanfare - Light from Shadows

Optional percussion includes: Triangle, Tambourine, Cymbal a2, Suspended Cymbal, Snare Drum, Bass Drum (w/ cymbal attachment), Drum Set)

This fanfare is the result of many worlds colliding, resulting in music.

When I was a young trumpeter in the Naples (FL) Philharmonic – and before I was a composer – I rented a house from John and Nancy Holland – Beck. It wasn’t long after I lived there that the entire orchestra was stunned at the passing of Nancy, who was our principal violist, and who had died from cancer at just 33 years old.

John subsequently met Lynn Huntzinger, who was Nancy’s best friend at the Eastman School, and whose husband had also had died from cancer. He was a trombonist in the Sinatra band in Las Vegas. Fast-forward to many years later, where now John had become the percussion department chair at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. With the upcoming visit of trumpeter Ryan Anthony, who also is living with Multiple Myeloma, John wanted to do something in conjunction with Ryan’s visit. I have known Ryan a long time as well, and so the combination of all these worlds led to this work: “Fanfare – Light from Shadows“. John’s one directive: “The music should be a celebration of life, not in any way sad.”

I decided to make it uptempo and uplifting from the very beginning – per John’s comment – and to focus on the light. The shadows were long ago, but not forgotten, and have proven to be the inspiration for the lives that have followed. Two musical elements were inspired by John and Lynn’s deceased spouses: the number 7, because of the address of the house I rented being 717 107th Ave., and a lot of jazz harmonies throughout, because of the Sinatra band. The optional ending includes a long bluesy trombone solo as well.

Jim Stephenson