Aerial Vignette was commissioned by Daniel Malacon and José Barrientos for the Timber Creek High School Saxophone Ensemble. It was premiered at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois on December 18, 2019 by Timber Creek High School Saxophone Ensemble.

Program Note:
When I first set out to write Aerial Vignette, I researched all kinds of things that I thought could somehow tie in well to Timber Creek High School and this commission. All that José and Daniel told me was that they would like the work to be a certain range in time, celebratory, and around a grade 4. With that in mind, I looked up their mascot, the falcon, and learned that they are the fastest animal on the planet, with their dives reaching speeds of up to 250mph! I wrote a bit of the first part of the piece, which starts with a simple melody that is used throughout and sent an excerpt to José and Daniel. We discussed the falcon and other things and we all thought the piece was beginning to feel like it was transfixed in the air, with a reflective, emotional, and, eventually, celebratory sound world that resembles what I imagine falcons might feel like soaring and diving through the air. Further underscoring the “aerial” idea is the soloist’s part, which is consistently written above the ensemble and really climbs high into the stratosphere during the climax. I would like to thank Daniel, José, and Michael Jacobson for all of their help throughout writing this piece and would like to say congratulations to these wonderful young people for taking on this and several other exceedingly difficult pieces. Bravo, Timber Creek High School Saxophone Ensemble