HiJinks - Official Recording (US Coast Guard Band)

Commissioned in 2021 by a consortium of several members, this adaptation of my 2013 work 'War Machine' takes the original quartet piece to the more imposing stature of which I envisioned for the musical material nearly a decade ago. Bombastic, rhythmic and with plenty of memorable tunes and contrasting moments.

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WAR MACHINE Concert Band

Monkey Spinning Monkeys
Industry Baby - Lil Nas X
Track Star - Mooski
Taste - Tyga
Levitating - Dua Lipa 
Butter - BTS
Astronaut in the Ocean - Masked Wolf

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THE SOUNDS OF TIK TOK for Marching Band

UP - IUP Symphony Band (World Premiere)

FANFARE TO 'THE HAMMER' (KSU Wind Ensemble)

Longing for Symphonic Band, as performed by the University of Georgia Symphonic Band, Mr. Curran Prendergrast conducting. 

LONGING - University of Georgia Symphonic Band

Now Is The Time (A Song of Hope) was written in the Fall of 2013 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech given on August 28th 1963. The work is a tribute to Dr. King’s life and his work as well as the many other civil rights activists that fought so courageously for equality and an end to racial injustice in the 1950’s and 60’s. But overall this piece is a musical portrayal of the pursuit of freedom and equality that many in our country still dream of.

            In his speech Dr. King asks for the United States to hold true to it’s founding doctrines of equality for all men and women, and freedom from oppression. The piece begins with a clarinet solo, so simple and pure. It represents the basic ideals of our founding fathers and the American dream. So as our country began with these ideals the piece starts with this motive and it appears throughout the work as the dream Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of was the in all actuality, the American dream.  

            The first theme heard initially in the clarinet develops and blossoms into a hymn-like setting with the low winds and strings. Expressive solos from trumpet and again clarinet weave around the chorale texture, and as the chorale decays the flutes echo the theme. The next section introduces a new theme, foreshadowed by the trumpet solo earlier in the piece. This theme is humbly stated by the oboe and bassoon, then again by the brass. We now enter a lush dreamy soundscape that accompanies the solo English horn. The music becomes nobler and with the entrance of the snare drum signals the march on Washington that happened earlier that day. Out of the dream marches the reality of the civil rights movement implementing Dr. King’s dream and demanding the rights guaranteed to all men and women by the constitution. After the bold climax the piece slowly winds down, gradually fading off to the distance revisiting the dream-like textures from earlier in the piece. The song ‘We Shall Overcome’, which was in a way the anthem of the civil rights movement, is played briefly by the solo clarinet. The percussion and strings create a shimmering layer of tremolos and arpeggios while the brass states the second theme in broad strokes over musical canvas created by the shimmering layer. The timpani restates the martial drumbeat of the snare drum earlier, signifying that the movement for equality still marches on into the present day as our country and the rest of the world continue to address the issue of equality, human rights and discrimination. 

Recorded by the George Mason University Orchestra; Dr. Dennis Leyendecker conducting

NOW IS THE TIME (A SONG OF HOPE) for Orchestra

The Battle Cry of Freedom - performed by the 'President's Own' US Marine Band

Pure Imagination - arranged for orchestra

A movement of a multimovement suite to be played in any order, using the same thematic material throughout.

SUITE FOR BAND (Sample)

Dr. Jason Worzbyt conducting, recorded by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Symphony Band - Bruce Leek, recording engineer 

UP - for Symphonic Band

Written originally for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as part of the Audience of the Future program, this lively and energetic concert opener depicts a modern metropolitan skyline. The work shifts dramatically in character and style midway depicting the skyline as seen at night, illuminated by city lights a midst the dark canvas of the night sky. 

The form is a nod to the rondo, with a repeating strain occurring 3 times in the piece with contrasting interior sections. 

This is a live recording of the Dana Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Stephen L. Gage. 

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT - Dana Symphony Orchestra

Commissioned by Dr. Jack Stamp as the concert opener for his final concert at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on April 26, 2015. He served as director of bands there for 25 years, and was a student for 4 years. 

PRELUDE TO SOMETHING BIG (World Premiere)

Now Is The Time (A Song of Hope)performed by "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band

A musical tribute to baseball legend Hank 'The Hammer' Aaron, and written as a gift to my dear friend and mentor Dr. Jack Stamp. 

Recorded by the University of North Texas Wind Symphony; Prof. Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor

FANFARE TO "THE HAMMER" (North Texas Wind Symphony Recording)

Official Recording of UP, by the Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble, conducted by Dr. Stephen Gage. 



Up - YSU Wind Ensemble Recording

Live Performance: Marywood University Wind Ensemble
F. David Romines conducting

Gateway to the Centennial

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (Fanfare and Processional)

Written for the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Brass Ensemble (2011)
Dr. Christian Dickinson, conductor

A New Birth Of Freedom(Eulogy for a Wounded Nation) for Brass and Percussion

Recorded by the University of Texas El Paso Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Bradley Genevro.

Prelude To Something Big (UTEP Wind Symphony Recording)

Hung Aloft the Night was commissioned by a consortium of several schools organized by Dr. Joshua Kearney. The piece’s title and inspiration comes from the poem ‘Bright Star’ by the English poet, John Keats. 

The poem expresses the desire for something unattainable and the longing for stability amidst a world in constant flux. The poet uses grandiose imagery of mountains, shores and skies and sensual language to convey this desire to the reader. 

The piece uses a single theme (with smaller variants and fragments) to portray musically that which is steadfast amongst a world constantly changing. The melody - “Idée fixe” - is heard first with almost no accompaniment and evolves through several reharmonizations, key changes, and contrapuntal contextualization. The music begins and ends contemplatively as if appearing in the night sky among millions of celestial bodies which serve as a canvas for one's own introspection.

HUNG ALOFT THE NIGHT for Concert Band (Grade 4)

Ions with a negative charge, when examined show an almost choreographed dancing frenzy of electrons. This piece illustrates musically what I believe this would sound like, based on only 2 melodic/rhythmic motives; the first the ostinato on the 4 pitches (Do - Re - Fi - Sol) and the scalar line that is heard first as an interjection then as the dominant melodic idea.

This work was commissioned by a consortium of over 30 ensembles (including the KSU Wind Ensemble).

ELECTRONS DANCING performed by the Kansas State Wind Ensemble

Written for the 2019 Dallas Wind Symphony Fanfare Competition

6 Trumpet
5 Horn
3 Trombone
2 Euphonium
2 Tuba
Percussion

FROM ABOVE - Fanfare Prelude for Brass and Percussion

HIRAM HOWL THEME SONG

commissioned in 2019 by a consortium of Western Pennsylvania Schools lef by Mark Surovchak

INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX for Concert Band (Grade 3)

Commissioned in 2016 as part of the Rocky Mountain Commissioning Project, led by Dr. Alan Mills of the University of Colorado - Pueblo.

PASTORALE for Concert Band (Grade 4.5)

An exciting and bold 10-minute overture encapsulates the time and the spirit of the 19th century American Frontier. THE CROSSROADS was commissioned by the Fort Wayne Area Community Band to commemorate their 40th anniversary.

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THE CROSSROADS for Concert Band (Grade 5)

In three movements (euphonium may also be performed by trombone)

I. Introduction and Dance 
II. Nocturne (Jazzy)
III. Scherzo and Finale

Double Concerto For Alto Saxophone And Euphonium(2010)

The last and finale movement of my concerto for Marimba and band. A fusion of Jazz, Latin, Pop and Rock styles all rolled into a flashy Toccata showing of the technical abilities of the fine soloist for whom it was written. 

Concerto for Marimba and Band - Movement 3

Anthony O’Toole began writing in his teens and has composed more than 100 works over the last 13 years, writing for virtually every major idiom and instrument. 


Mr. O’Toole is primarily self-taught as a composer but credits his mentors, Jack Stamp and Mark Camphouse as being pivotal to his development as a composer and musician. Anthony has also had the opportunity to learn and engage with many respected composers such as Richard Danielpour, Dana Wilson, Frank Ticheli, Cindy McTee, Ryan Nowlin, Drew Hemenger, George Crumb and others. 

His music has been commissioned and performed by musicians and ensembles all around the world. Mr. O’Toole’s music for wind band has been performed and recorded by some of the finest bands including the United States Coast Guard Band, The Kansas State University Wind Ensemble, ‘The President’s Own’ United States Marine Band, The University of North Texas Wind Symphony, The Singapore Wind Symphony, The Alabama Winds and others. His piece “Fanfare to ‘The Hammer’” is featured in the 10th edition of the GIA Publications series ‘Teaching Music Through Performance in Band’; which features a recording by the UNT Wind Symphony an in-depth analysis of the work. Hammer also appears in the ‘Sourcebook for Wind Band and Instrumental Music’ by Russ Girsberger, Frank L. Battisti, and William Berz. His piece 'Prelude to Something Big' is featured in Volume 11 of this series. 

He has received numerous awards for his compositions including the Grand Prize in the 2012 Garritan Composition Contest, and Second Place in the 2014 Van Galen Prize for wind chamber music. In 2014 Mr. O’Toole was inducted into the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity as an honorary member for his musical contributions. He is also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity, ASCAP and The American Composer’s Federation. Anthony currently resides in Los Angeles, CA where he fulfills his commissions for new works and does orchestrations and arrangements as a freelance writer; he also serves as Composer-in-Residence for the Carson Symphony Orchestra and Staff Arranger for the Southern California Brass Consortium.

Anthony O'Toole

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