Nathan Daughtrey

Commissioned by Ned Smith and the Coventry High School Band, "Black Rainbow" was inspired by the idea of a moonbow – a rainbow produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon (rather than from direct sunlight) refracting off of moisture in the air. The full spectrum of colors are present, but it is difficult for the human eye to detect them. I liked the idea of such beauty being there under the surface, but not immediately recognizable. The work takes the listener on a journey through each of the seven colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), each with their own energy.

Black Rainbow (for 6 solo percussion & piano)

Unrequited (from 'Songs of the Human Spirit') - Nathan Daughtrey

Vulnerability (from 'Songs of the Human Spirit') - Nathan Daughtrey

Joy (from 'Songs of the Human Spirit') - Nathan Daughtrey

"Burn" was commissioned by Robert Faub for performance at the 2016 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference at Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). The idea for the piece simply came from the title and the myriad of ways a fire can burn. What results is a perpetual motion tour-de-force work for both players.

Spark | Ignite | Dance | Scorch | Smolder | Incinerate | Extinguish

Burn (live recording) - Nathan Daughtrey

Commissioned by Gabe Musella and the Spring High School Wind Ensemble for performance at the 2016 Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, "Twitch" is a tour-de-force for solo B-flat clarinet and band. A clarinet quartet (3 Bb soprano & 1 bass clarinet) from the ensemble accompanies the soloist at several moments throughout the piece.

Twitch (solo clarinet & wind ensemble) - Nathan Daughtrey

Limerick Daydreams for Symphonic Band

An Extraordinary Correspondence (for flute & marimba)

Nathan Daughtrey with the James Madison University Percussion Ensemble, Michael Overman, conducting.  Commissioned by Dr. Lisa Rogers (percussion professor at Texas Tech University), the first movement of the Concerto for Vibraphone and Percussion Ensemble received its premiere in November 2009 at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis by Lisa Rogers and the Brazoswood High School Percussion Ensemble, directed by Eric Harper. It will be premiered in its entirety at the International Society for Music Education (ISME) Conference in Beijing, China in August 2010 by the Texas Tech University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Allan Shin, with Dr. Lisa Rogers as the vibraphone soloist. 
Notes: 
One of my favorite sources of inspiration for my compositions is poetry – especially that of Pablo Neruda. It's so passionate and filled with vivid imagery that it's just a blast to try and portray his words with music. I knew from the outset that Lisa Rogers (the commissioning party) wanted a 2-movement concerto, so I decided to try and find two poems with opposing themes and stumbled upon Neruda's collection "Ode to Opposites." I chose "Ode to Nighttime" and "Ode to Enchanted Light" which pit night against day.  For the first movement, Night’s Song, I tried to depict this mysterious, starry night that gradually turns dark and rainy. The phrases that really spoke to me and shaped the music were “behind daylight,” “you thrash around the sky,” “you run wild over the savage flow of rivers,” and rain and darkness are the blade of a singing sword while stars, or jasmine petals, gaze from blackened heights.” I love how Neruda describes daylight as being born nighttime, so I decided to make the movements attacca so that the second movement, Enchanted Light, bursts forth out of the first movement.  The second movement is much more sparkly and bright, depicting the “light dropping from the top of the sky.” The “cicada sending its sawing song high into the empty air” even makes an appearance when the ensemble vibraphone player places pennies on the bars and then bows those bars with optional help from a sizzle cymbal. Motives and themes from the first movement return in several spots throughout the second movement helping to unify the work. The soloist gets a workout as well in the tour-de-force second movement, unlike the much more introspective first movement.

Nathan Daughtrey

As though