The fusion of trombone and electronic sounds in this track is simply transcendent!

Premiere recording by Brent Mead.
Recording engineer/mixing/mastering by Ben Baker 

S0c1AL was written in 2022 for Brent Mead as part of his grant-based project to commission several new works for trombone that all were to relate to issues, disorders, and traumas that many people face. The project is aimed towards younger people in an effort to show through music that these negativities in life can be dealt with and managed in a healthy way, and more importantly, to show that there are others who have faced similar obstacles; you are not alone. S0c1AL deals with the topic of social anxiety, a type of anxiety disorder, that many people, including myself, struggle with to some extent. Social anxiety is persistent and makes it difficult to do things such as meet new people, develop new relationships, and attend social gatherings. Furthermore, someone with social anxiety may fear that they are being judged by others and feel helpless to control these feelings. S0c1AL is a through-composed work that consists of three main thematic sections:

I. There are Almost 8 Billion People on This Planet, yet I Feel so Alone: This first section portrays the constant pendulum of emotions associated with social anxiety. One is fearful of being around others, yet simultaneously yearns for friendship. This inner conflict is represented frequent shifting between “bright” and “dark” melodic and harmonic structures in both the solo trombone part and the backing track. Optional pedals used: Reverb, Octave, and Delay.

II. Risk with a Side of Self-doubt: This movement represents the anxiety, fear, and questions that arise when approaching someone new: “What should I say? What if they think I’m weird? Do I make small talk?” Optional pedals used: Overdrive and Chorus.

III. Free: Finally, this optimistic movement represents the relief and weight off the shoulders when one successfully makes a new friend. Optional pedals used: Reverb.

Sheet music available here: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p34/S0c1AL_-_for_trombone%2C_fixed_media%2C_and_optional_guitar_pedals.html

Copyright © 2022 Ian Lester

S0c1AL - for trombone, fixed media, and optional guitar pedals

Machinations by Anthony O'Toole

Performed by The Troubled Euphs at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Machinations is an exciting composition for flex brass trio. The extensive use of immediate call and response between the three parts throughout the work creates an effective fast-paced, repetitive echo effect. Even in the lyrical middle section, Machinations is energetic and driving due to the use of a consistent tempo and interweaving syncopated rhythms in each part. 

You can purchase Machinations (both the high brass and low brass versions) here: https://www.matonizz.com/product/machinations-otoole/

Machinations - Anthony O'Toole

Premiere performance by Dr. Robert Benton and the University of Nebraska at Kearney wind ensemble conducted by Dr. Duane Bierman at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Migration Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble was commissioned by Dr. Robert Benton for the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Kearney, Nebraska, and was further supported by the Nebraska Arts Council, the Audubon Rowe Sanctuary, and the Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. The work is directly
inspired by the annual Springtime great migration of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in Kearny. The Migration Euphonium Concerto consists of three movements that musically convey this
massive event through the lens of both an onlooker and a Sandhill Crane: I. Arrival, II. Sistere (still), and III. Flight.

Sistere (still) is what I consider the heart of the Concerto. The Latin word sistere means “to stop” and “to cease moving”. This movement represents the Sandhill Cranes huddled together, roosting on the Platte River. An optimistic percussion introduction rings for ten seconds before an ethereal vibraphone-led progression leads into the solo euphonium melody. The soloist and ensemble build in intensity until a subito piano brings the music back into the initial dream-like chorale. There is another swell of intensity and a subito pianissimo before the music blossoms into a sweeping and passionate restatement of the original material, this time in a new key. The movement ends with a subdued, hopeful iteration of the chorale progression.

Cover art by Hope Schwartz

Sheet Music available here:

Piano Reduction: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p45/Migration_Concerto_for_Euphonium_and_Wind_Ensemble_%28Piano_Reduction%29_%282024%29.html

With Wind Ensemble: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p44/Migration_Concerto_for_Euphonium_and_Wind_Ensemble_%282024%29.html

Copyright © 2024 Ian Lester

Migration Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble, II. Sistere (still)

L'Blatinx by Adolphus Hailstork (arranged for euphonium trio with permission from the publisher)

Performed by The Troubled Euphs at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Originally commissioned by Northwest Passage Trumpet Trio, Adolphus Hailstork's thrilling work L'Blatinx makes use of the term BLatinx—a combination of Black and Latinx.  This dissonant, blues-filled work utilizes foot-stomping inspired by Black traditions from New Orleans, has a Mariachi feel, and uses Latin rhythms throughout.

You can purchase the original version of L'Blatinx for 3 Trumpets in C (both the high brass and low brass versions) here: https://www.presser.com/114-42244-l-27blatinx.html

L'Blatinx - Adolphus Hailstork

Mini Suite by Fernando Deddos (arranged for euphonium trio by the composer)

Performed by The Troubled Euphs at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Originally a consortium commission led by the Crimson Brass Trio at Washington State University, this version of Mini Suite was especially arranged for euphonium trio by the composer himself at the request of the Troubled Euphs, who were consortium members. Mini Suite consists of three movements, each representing and titled after specific types of Brazilian or Argentinian dance music:

I. Jongo - Milonga
II. Chamamé
III. Baião - Marcha Rancho

Mini Suite is still under the consortium exclusivity period. You can find out more about Fernando and his compositions here: https://www.fernandodeddos.com/

Mini Suite - Fernando Deddos

Performed by The Troubled Euphs at the 2024 Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Against All Odds was written for the Troubled Euphs euphonium trio in late 2022. The work was inspired by the many cases throughout history of people surviving the seemingly un-survivable. Two specific instances that came to mind were the separate stories of Kamel Abdel Rahman and Phineas Gage. Both were impaled through the head in horrific accidents yet survived against all odds.

Sheet music available here: www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p32/Aga…ium_Trio.html

Copyright © 2023 Ian Lester

Against All Odds - Ian Lester

Premiere performance by the 2024 KC Trombone Workshop conducted by Grant Morgan

Infinity is a piece for trombone ensemble (sextet) commissioned by the KC Trombone Workshop in the Spring of 2024. Infinity is dedicated to loved ones of all kinds. I am fortunate to have loving parents, an amazing sister, and a wonderful extended family, all of whom have supported me in many ways throughout my music career. The title of the piece is directly inspired by my parents, who frequently told me “I love you infinity” when I was a young child. I encourage performers to think of someone (or something) they care for deeply when playing Infinity and channel that warmth and love into the music.

Sheet music available here: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p43/Infinity_%282024%29_-_for_Trombone_Sextet.html

Infinity - for trombone ensemble

         Alternate: Sonata for Cornet and Piano is the result of a consortium led by Dr. Doug Lindsey in the summer of 2024. Consisting of three stand-alone, yet, thematically related movements, Alternate draws inspiration from modern-day depictions of the doppelgänger, a fictitious, ghostly look-alike of a living person, found in sources such as the YouTube series The Mandela Catalogue, which utilizes the term "Alternate" as a descriptor for these evil duplicates. Further inspiration comes from Franz Schubert's famed lied Der Doppelgänger, with lyrics drawn from an originally un-titled Heinrich Heine poem. 
         The first movement “Face in the Moonlight” is a direct nod to the following couplet in Heine’s poem: “I am terrified – when I see his face, the moon shows me my own form!”. This movement represents the doppelgänger. The music is angular and frenetic at points, conveying the fear and anxiety anticipating the doppelgänger’s arrival. A vignette-like Cadenza leads into a section marked “with malice” that utilizes jagged melodies and dense harmonies in the piano drawn from two particularly well-known Stravinsky chords. A “Falsely optimistic” coda ends the movement.
         The second movement “The Quiet Streets” is also a direct nod to Heine’s text, pulling from the very first line: “The night is still, the streets are quiet…”. This movement represents the human, the target of the doppelgänger, beginning with a somewhat optimistic, yet rhythmically unstable 4-bar piano introduction. A sudden harmonic shift to D minor sets a mournful and somber tone as the cornet imitates weeping and anguish with rapid waves of open and muted melodic runs set over a simple piano line. Another sudden shift occurs, this time to a more jagged, tonally ambiguous section representing the feeling of dread as the doppelgänger closes in. The movement ends with a triumphant coda section, representing the futile efforts to defeat the doppelgänger.
          “A New Beginning” depicts a bleak ending to the story, in which the doppelgänger successfully takes over the human and proceeds to live that their life without any indication to others that the human has been essentially replaced. The movement begins The cornet soloist acts as the human transitioning into the doppelgänger, becoming more aggressive and ominous as the movement progresses. An ominous, briskly paced 6/8 section ensues, followed by a slower, “Lovingly” section. An accelerando brings back the 6/8 material in a new key center before the tempo increases one last time for a rapid-fire, virtuosic ending. The doppelgänger has won. The human is no more.

Copyright © 2025 Ian Lester


Alternate: Sonata for Cornet and Piano, I. Face in the Moonlight

         Alternate: Sonata for Cornet and Piano is the result of a consortium led by Dr. Doug Lindsey in the summer of 2024. Consisting of three stand-alone, yet, thematically related movements, Alternate draws inspiration from modern-day depictions of the doppelgänger, a fictitious, ghostly look-alike of a living person, found in sources such as the YouTube series The Mandela Catalogue, which utilizes the term "Alternate" as a descriptor for these evil duplicates. Further inspiration comes from Franz Schubert's famed lied Der Doppelgänger, with lyrics drawn from an originally un-titled Heinrich Heine poem. 
         The first movement “Face in the Moonlight” is a direct nod to the following couplet in Heine’s poem: “I am terrified – when I see his face, the moon shows me my own form!”. This movement represents the doppelgänger. The music is angular and frenetic at points, conveying the fear and anxiety anticipating the doppelgänger’s arrival. A vignette-like Cadenza leads into a section marked “with malice” that utilizes jagged melodies and dense harmonies in the piano drawn from two particularly well-known Stravinsky chords. A “Falsely optimistic” coda ends the movement.
         The second movement “The Quiet Streets” is also a direct nod to Heine’s text, pulling from the very first line: “The night is still, the streets are quiet…”. This movement represents the human, the target of the doppelgänger, beginning with a somewhat optimistic, yet rhythmically unstable 4-bar piano introduction. A sudden harmonic shift to D minor sets a mournful and somber tone as the cornet imitates weeping and anguish with rapid waves of open and muted melodic runs set over a simple piano line. Another sudden shift occurs, this time to a more jagged, tonally ambiguous section representing the feeling of dread as the doppelgänger closes in. The movement ends with a triumphant coda section, representing the futile efforts to defeat the doppelgänger.
          “A New Beginning” depicts a bleak ending to the story, in which the doppelgänger successfully takes over the human and proceeds to live that their life without any indication to others that the human has been essentially replaced. The movement begins The cornet soloist acts as the human transitioning into the doppelgänger, becoming more aggressive and ominous as the movement progresses. An ominous, briskly paced 6/8 section ensues, followed by a slower, “Lovingly” section. An accelerando brings back the 6/8 material in a new key center before the tempo increases one last time for a rapid-fire, virtuosic ending. The doppelgänger has won. The human is no more.

Copyright © 2025 Ian Lester

Alternate: Sonata for Cornet and Piano, II. The Quiet Streets

Alternate: Sonata for Cornet and Piano, III. A New Beginning

Premiere performance by the UMKC Clarinet Choir conducted by  Evelynn Esquivel in Winter of 2024

NIGHT GLOW was originally a Grade 3 work for wind ensemble commissioned in the Fall of 2023 by Dr. Joe Parisi and the Roeland Park New Horizons Band. This carefully crafted version of NIGHT GLOW for clarinet choir and percussion was made at the request of Evelynn Esquivel. NIGHT GLOW takes inspiration from the idea of fusing together two separate songs that come from different holidays and religions: The classic Christmas carol “Silent Night” and the liturgical Jewish hymn “Ma'oz Tzur”. Both works are significant to their respective holiday and religion, and I felt that using “Silent Night” and “Ma'oz Tzur” in this setting could provide a meaningful and enjoyable piece for clarinet choirs and percussionists to perform, especially on holiday concerts. NIGHT GLOW begins with a gentle slow section, containing subtle references to “Silent Night”. The main thematic material passes between the upper six clarinets, who along with timpani and “bell-toning” bass clarinets, gradually build in dynamics as more instruments continue to enter the texture. After a climactic fortissimo chord, a lyrical solo leads into a celebratory fast section containing references to “Ma'oz Tzur”. Another flowing solo and a restatement of the celebratory material leads into a chorale-like section calling back to “Silent Night” led by the bass clarinets, contrabass clarinet, and percussion. NIGHT GLOW ends with a joyful, optimistic finale that features sections and fragments of both “Silent Night” and “Ma'oz Tzur” being played simultaneously throughout the ensemble.

Sheet music available here: https://www.ianlestermusic.com/store/p48/NIGHT_GLOW_-_Version_for_Clarinet_Choir_and_Percussion_%282024%29.html

NIGHT GLOW - Version for Clarinet Choir and Percussion

A native Michigander whose music has been described as "high energy", "innovative" and "very thoughtful and concise" (International Tuba and Euphonium Association), Dr. Ian Lester (b. 1994) is an award-winning composer, euphonium player, and teacher holding a Doctorate degree in euphonium performance and Master’s degree in composition from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, where he also previously received his Master's degree in euphonium performance. Ian received his Bachelor’s degree in euphonium performance and pursued additional composition studies at Oakland University in Michigan. Ian’s works have been performed and recorded by soloists, chamber ensembles, wind bands, and brass bands at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Fort Myer, and many universities and recital halls around the world. Notable achievements include winning the 2016 U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Composition Competition, receiving the 2018 Oakland University's Outstanding Student in Composition award, winning the 2018 North Texas Euphonium Quartet Composition Competition, the 2021 Mirari Brass Quintet Call for Scores, and the 2022 UMKC Composition Competition, being selected to attend the 2021 Julius String Quartet EMERGE Solstice Composition Workshop, along with winning both the inaugural 2023 North Texas I.T.E.A. Chapter Composition Competition and the 2023 I.T.E.A. R. Winston Morris Award for excellence in tuba/euphonium ensemble composition.

S0c1AL - for trombone, fixed media, and optional guitar pedals

Ian Lester

Recent comments

Patricia

Related tracks