Saxophone Concerto Consortium
On behalf of myself and saxophonist Derek Granger, I am excited to announce a consortium commission for a new concerto for alto saxophone and wind ensemble.
The piece, The Angel of History will be a roughly 20 minute concerto for alto saxophone and wind ensemble. The title of the concerto comes from the German philosopher Walter Benjamin who, while fleeing Nazi Germany, wrote about his thoughts on history as being not “a chain of events” but as “one single catastrophe…piling wreckage upon wreckage.” The figure he refers to as the Angel of History, “would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them.” I found these compelling set of images and metaphors about the cyclical nature of history profoundly inspiring.
The soloist will act as a kind of lyrical, meditative figure who will be in dialogue with, or at times pitted up against, the ever shifting moods of the wind ensemble. The piece will also commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust in 2025.
I’m extremely excited to begin work on this piece, and believe this will be a unique, fulfilling project. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
Details:
ensemble: solo alto saxophone and wind ensemble
duration: 18-20 minutes
grade: 5 (suitable for all colleges/universities and advanced high schools)
The concerto will be delivered early spring 2025, in anticipation of the world premiere with Derek Granger and the Utah Valley University Wind Symphony in spring 2025.
The piece is written for Derek Granger. Schools are encouraged to have him as a guest to play the piece, but that is not a requirement of joining the consortium.
The buy-in to join is $500 for collegiate & professional groups, and $250 for high schools.
Consortium members will have 1 year of performance exclusivity from the time of the premiere.
The Soloist
DEREK GRANGER is Visiting Assistant Professor of Saxophone the Tarleton State University Department of Performing Arts. Previously, Dr. Granger held positions as Associate Instructor of Saxophone in the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Director of Choirs at Flowing Wells High School is Tucson, Arizona.
Dr. Granger has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Hartt Wind Ensemble, and the University of Arizona Wind Ensemble. He has garnered awards at MTNA national and regional competitions, the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Collegiate Competition, the Hartt Chamber Music Competition, the Paranov Concerto Competition, and the Cyprus International Music Competition. As a chamber musician, Dr. Granger has given recitals and residencies across the American Southwest and Mexico with the Presidio Saxophone Quartet and Catalina Quartet, respectively.
Dr. Granger is committed to the creation of new solo and chamber works for saxophone, with recent premieres including non-poem 8 by Jonathan Ragonese (solo saxophone), Wood Song by Jenni Brandon (version for soprano saxophone), and Deep State by Robert Rankin (saxophone and mixed percussion). His 2020 collaboration with poet Patrick Kindig, The Quarantine Variations, comprises thirty poems (by Kindig) with newly composed musical responses (by Granger) created during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Additionally, Dr. Granger’s professionally and self-published online catalog features saxophone arrangements of older works by Mozart, Respighi, Magnard, Wolf, and more.
The Composer
ROBERT RANKIN is a composer, conductor, and writer who grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Salt Lake City, UT. He is currently on the composition faculty at the University of Utah and teaches music theory at Utah Valley University.
His music, which has been described as “powerful and effective” (Classical Voice Carolina), draws on a wide range of influences to create intense, intricate, and expressive works.
His music has been commissioned and performed by various ensembles and solo artists including the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic, Durham Symphony, Duo Axon, the Empyrean Saxophone Quartet, the Sing-Me-A-Story Foundation, the Kuttner Quartet, the Lux Quartet, Split The Lark, and numerous high school and college wind ensembles across the United States.
He has received awards and honors from organizations including American Composers Orchestra, Tribeca New Music, New Music USA, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra, Northwestern University, Indiana State University, National Federation of Music Clubs, and the Society of Composers Inc.
Robert received his DMA and MM in Music Composition at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.
