Michael Sweeney

Celebrating its 130th anniversary, the Woodstock City Band of Woodstock, Illinois (at one time known as “Spring City”) commissioned this dynamic overture honoring the long-standing tradition of summer concerts in the historic town square. Joyous and celebratory in nature, Spring City Overture features a dramatic opening segment that builds to the tuneful main theme. A brief reflective lyric section provides a moment of calm before returning to the energetic opening theme. Beautifully paced for maximum emotional impact and providing challenging parts for all sections, this powerful work is equally suitable for festivals or casual concerts. Dur: 5:00

Calling for the band to be divided into four separate ensembles (and spread apart if space permits), Villages explores a wide range of harmonic and rhythmic interplay between each of these musical “villages.” The opening creates a dense canopy of sound, out of which the unique identity of each group variously emerges then melts back into the texture. As the fast pace continues, melodic fragments are bounced from group to group with interjections from the percussion. A slower lyric section provides contrast before the frantic pace returns leading to the exciting conclusion. Innovative in its conception, this stunning work will expose your students and audience to dramatically new sounds for band! Dur: 8:15