The first draft of this Symphony, originally entitled L'amour, was written over five weeks, mostly in December of 2013 and early January of 2014. At the time, I was in a relationship that would ultimately prove to be more short-lived than I would have hoped at the time. This symphony was written as an expression of the emotion and affection I felt towards my boyfriend of the time.

And then came Monday, January 13, 2014, and my relationship was over. For a long time, I couldn't even look at this piece of music. Eventually, however, I came back to it. I came back to it bitter, though. I rebranded it. "The Love of a Fool", I retitled it, focusing particularly on the quotation I'd included in the fourth movement from Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" to change the meaning of the symphony: it was a statement about the foolishness and transience of young love.

But I was not satisfied. And so, after publishing that second version of the symphony on YouTube, it came down. Now, after several more months, I've approached it again from a much better frame of mind. And, well, yeah, perhaps I was foolish to pour my heart out over five weeks into this massive work all for the sake of someone who would ultimately never listen to it. But you know what? I poured my heart out nonetheless, and that passion was as real as anything else. And ultimately, that deserves to be recognized. This symphony is a half-hour long in four movements that are, in a way, the culmination of everything I've done as a composer since 2012.

Ultimately, I have still never been performed by a live ensemble, although I've come close a few times. I am not a music major, like I thought I would be for a long while. There's a good chance my works will never be performed live, that I will never make a cent off of anything I've written, and that ultimately everything I write will be forgotten. But that doesn't stop me, because ultimately writing music is something I need to do. I have a passionate soul, and music is the only art form that can truly capture that.

And so, without further ado, I present Symphony in A, "Appassionata", and I dedicate it to all those who have inspired passion in me, whether or not that passion was directed towards an unfruitful end.

Symphony in A: Appassionata

An American Suite for Band is a work in four movements that aims to capture the essence of American music as it stood during the middle and late 19th century, a particularly formative time in our national and musical identity from which sprang such figures as Stephen Foster, Scott Joplin, and more. 

I. The Yellow Rose of Texas
II. Beautiful Dreamer
III. Maple Leaf Rag
IV. Medley (Simple Gifts, Oh Susanna, Camptown Races, Turkey in the Straw)

An American Suite

A -- rather long -- waltz written for my best friend last fall.

Rubiconic Dances

Young -- and, as of yet, unperformed -- composer studying classical languages and literature at UNC Greensboro.

ejmears95