In the Depths of Winter
Grade 4
Duration: 5:30-6:00 minutes
Instrumentation
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Bassoons
Contrabassoon (optional)
3 Bb Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Alto Saxophones
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
4 Trumpets in Bb
4 Horns
3 Tenor Trombones
Bass Trombone
2 Euphoniums
Tuba
Double Bass
Timpani
Vibraphone 1
Vibraphone 2, Suspended Cymbal
Chimes
Marimba
Percussion 1: Bass Drum
Percussion 2: Tam-Tam, Sizzle Cymbal
*If only 6 percussionists are available, exclude marimba
Program Note
In the Depths of Winter reflects on how light and grace often reveal themselves most vividly in times of hardship. In the coldest winter months, sunrises often appear brighter and offer a quiet radiance amid the frost. Likewise, grace takes on an even deeper warmth during a wintry season of the soul marked by loss or struggle. This work was written with the idea that one does not endure in the absence of hardship, but through the quiet presence of something that remains and sustains us. Our own hearts can remain warm even when the world around us seems cold.
