JAMES M. DAVID, composer
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      • Song of the Valar
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THREE SUMMITS
Concerto for Trombone
​2022-23 Consortium Commission

Three Summits: Concerto for Trombone
for tenor trombone and wind band, full orchestra, or piano reduction

  1. Mount of the Holy Cross
  2. Town of Independence, Population 1
  3. Race to the Clouds

Program Notes

​Since moving to my adoptive home of Colorado, the state’s rugged landscape has never ceased to enchant and inspire me. Most iconic are the Colorado Fourteeners: the mighty peaks above 14,000 feet that call to adventurous people throughout the world. My new concerto for trombone depicts views of three such mountains from different angles and different seasons to create a hopefully engaging meeting of my favorite instrument and my home. First is the Mount of the Holy Cross viewed in midsummer. This famous peak with a distinctive cross-shaped snowfield is depicted in all its glory after a steady ascent from the nearby Vail Valley with a few references to famous Christian hymns. Next is Mount Elbert seen from Independence in midwinter. The ghost town of Independence sits near Colorado’s highest peak in a pristine alpine valley and only one resident remained after the brutal 1899 winter. Hushed, faintly remembered campfire songs waft through the naked aspens, frozen lakes, and skeletal cabins. Last is the notorious Pikes Peak Hill Climb also known as The Race to the Clouds. Early each summer since 1916, daring auto racers summit the only Fourteener accessible by motor vehicle. Raucous engines and death-defying curves provide for an aggressive and white-knuckle ride to the top and a hopefully breathless conclusion to the concerto. 

Work Details

  • Duration, 12-16 minutes
  • Solo Difficulty: advanced but attainable by accomplished undergraduate or graduate student trombonists (ossia provided for extreme upper range)
  • Ensemble Difficulty: Medium-Advanced (Grade 4/5, advanced high school ensembles)
  • Anticipated Completion: Spring 2023, no later than July 1, 2023
  • Consortium Performance Exclusivity: August 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024
  • Full orchestra version will be available by early 2024

Consortium Membership Levels

Full Membership
  • Cost: $125
  • Includes signed and bound solo part, bound wind band score, PDF piano reduction, and PDF wind band parts
  • Name and institution included in published score
  • PDF files of orchestral score and parts provided when available
  • Limited to 30 professional trombonists or university faculty members
  • Contact James.David@colostate.edu for invoicing
Associate Membership
  • Cost: $50
  • Includes signed and bound solo part and PDF piano reduction
  • Click the PayPal link below to join!

Previous Works for Trombone and Wind Band

  • Home
  • about
  • wind ensemble
    • Message from Arecibo
    • Flying Jewels
    • Urban Light
    • Troublesome Fire
    • Symphony no. 1
    • Ghosts of the Old Year
    • Call to Commitment
    • With Soul Serene
    • March Tumbao
    • Lookfar
    • Menlo Park, 1879
    • Zephyrus
    • Flexible Instrumentation
    • Heartland Verses
    • Swing Landscape
    • I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold
    • Concerto for Vibraphone
    • The Moorlands
    • Big Four on the River
    • All Dark Is Now No More
    • Temple's Grace
    • From the Shaken Tower
    • Two-Lane Blacktop
    • Sinfonietta no. 3
  • compositions
    • wind ensemble
    • clarinet >
      • all clarinet works
      • clarinet sonata
      • AUTO '66 - Clarinet Concerto
    • saxophone >
      • all saxophone works
      • Saxophone Sonata
      • L'oiseau dans l'espace
      • Saxophone/Percussion Double Quartet
    • trombone >
      • all trombone works
      • Trombone Sonata
      • Five American Dances
      • Song of the Valar
      • Bass Trombone Sonata
      • Partiels 2
      • Garden of the Gods
    • Other Brass Works >
      • Of Unsurpassed Heroes
      • Trumpet Sonata
    • Percussion >
      • The Dandelion
      • NOLA - BELA - SOWEGA
    • large ensemble >
      • Tin Lizzies on Old Fall River
      • LASCAUX
      • KAFKA - Sax Concerto
    • chamber ensemble >
      • Clarinet and Horn Trio
    • solo / electroacoustic
    • choral / vocal >
      • KUBLA KHAN
  • contact
  • Report Performance