Big Ideas! (2012, rev. 2022)
Big Ideas! is a work which has taken its time to mature—ten years of intermittent revisions across three states and two degree programs by one very persistent composer! It began as a single movement, Brevity is the Soul of Wit, composed for the Copper Street Brass Quintet as part of their 2012 residency with the Schubert Club’s Composition Mentorship Program, an invaluable opportunity for high school composers living near St. Paul, Minnesota. Inspired by the experience, I composed two additional movements to precede the original piece. Over the next several years, I occasionally revised the whole composition. Through all the edits and tweaking, my goal was to enhance the original, youthful spirit of the work. Eventually, my efforts succeeded! I am forever grateful to Dr. Brian Kilp and the Indiana State University Faculty Brass Quintet for premiering Big Ideas!