A Note From the Composer:
During the summer of 2021, Stephanie Grubbs, clarinet instructor at Leander High School, commissioned a new piece from me for clarinet quartet, but to be performed by a clarinet choir. I had never written a piece for all-clarinets before, so I was very excited to work on the project. My wife and I got married and moved to Abilene around the same time, so this was one of the first projects I worked on at my new home. Stephanie wanted it to be a rhythmic, energetic piece, which inspired the overall feel of Dusk ‘til Dawn. As the piece began to take shape, I noticed that, while it had an excited energy to it, it felt somewhat “contained.” It reminded me of the times when I was so excited at night for something the next day that I couldn’t sleep, or when I was hurriedly working on a late-night homework assignment with the clock ticking – plenty of energy, but unable to fully express it due to the time of night. Hence the name “Dusk ‘til Dawn” was born.
