A Hollingsworth Celebration

A Hollingsworth Celebration, op. 254
The Hollingsworth Winds of Polk County, FL
Ivan Wansley, Artistic Director/Conductor
grade 4 – 4:40

COMING SOON!

In June of 2023, an old friend from my Florida band directing days, Ivan Wansley invited me to be part of a project he was planning with his community band, the Hollingsworth Winds of Polk County.  His plan was to have a concert that would be called “A Night of World Premieres with a Few Oldies.”  I was so pleased he asked me to be a part of it as I was able to fill two roles simultaneously – providing a new piece to premiere, AND by actually BEING one of the “Oldies!”

The resulting piece is entitled A Hollingsworth Celebration, and is indeed a celebratory piece intended to honor this fine ensemble along with attempting to meet Ivan’s request of writing a piece that was (in his words) “Flight of the Piasa meets Southwest Saga meets Manatee Lyric Overture.”  While I am not sure this piece is very much like any of those I wrote so many years ago, it is a grade 4 concert overture in an A/B/A format that includes fanfares, fast-paced rhythmic phrases, and lyrical, melodic moments, which is an apt description of the three pieces he referenced.  Regardless, I am so happy with the result, and hope that the Hollingsworth Winds finds this to be a piece they are proud to call their own.