City Moves

City Moves is a work for Brass Quintet and Narrator. Houston author, Brendan Stephens and I created a short story where a character’s introduction to Houston was lackluster, and through traveling throughout the city, and experiencing some of the multitudes of cultures within, he has a change of heart and welcomes Houston as his home. The piece is to be performed with a narrator along with the musical ensemble.
 
City Moves was commissioned by the Houston Brass Quintet with a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance for Houston’s Downtown District’s, DiverCity Project. The DiverCity Project was put together by the Houston Brass Quintet as a series of concerts “reflecting the fabric of Houston”.


The piece begins with the main character's theme, and is transformed throughout his experiences similar to Mussorgsky's "Promenade" from Pictures at an Exhibition. It continues in a story-like fashion similar to Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale. The main character travels begins his journey and travels throughout Houston, regaling with his experiences through a Greek Festival, encounters with Gospel Music, Oktoberfest Polka, Houston's Salsa scene, and finally Houston's Western culture. 

Houston Brass Quintet live (live streamed) performance on the Omni Hotel in Downtown Houston.

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