Cello Sonata
Kevin Day, composer
Thomas Mesa, cello
Michelle Cann, piano

Featuring cellist Thomas Mesa and pianist Michelle Cann, OUR STORIES from Navona Records aims to raise the voices of composers and performers from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in classical music. Made possible by PARMA Recordings and a Sphinx MPower Grant, this release musically conveys a diverse mixture of themes and topics, from the intricacies and curiosities of human communication to fear-inducing information prevalent in the media, reflections on the acceptance of life’s inevitable changes and losses, and more. Dive in and explore the masterful contemporary works of Andrea Casarrubios, Carlos Carrillo, Kevin Day, Sebastian Quesada, and Mario Oyanadel.

Recorded December 7-8, 2022 at Oktaven Audio in Mount Vernon NY
Session Producer, Editing and Mixing Brad Michel
Session Engineer Ryan Streber

Dolby Atmos® Mixing/Mastering Brad Michel

Available on all streaming platforms now.
Copyright - Navona Records/Parma Recordings

Michelle Cann, Thomas Mesa: Cello Sonata (Our Stories)

Concerto for Wind Ensemble (2021) - World Premiere Recording
Nominated for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Finalist for the 2022 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards
Finalist for the 2021 National Band Association William D. Revelli Composition Contest

Sheet Music Available Now:
http://murphymusicpress.com/search?query=Concerto+for+Wind+Ensemble


University of Georgia (UGA) Wind Ensemble
Dr. Jackie Hartenberger, conductor and Interim Director of Bands at UGA

I. Flow (0:00)
II. Riff (4:06)
III. Vibe (7:43)
IV. Soul (11:50)
V. Jam (17:00)

Commissioned by a consortium of ensemble directors, led by Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner (Dean of the Wilfred Laurier University School of Music)

Cynthia Johnston Turner - University of Georgia
Jerry Junkin - University of Texas at Austin
Jeff Ball - Brooklyn Wind Symphony
Jason Caslor - Arizona State University
John Stewart - University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Daniel Belognia - Arkansas Tech University
Mark Spede - Clemson University
Onsby Rose - Dordt University
Jonathan Poquette - Elon University
Jason Nitsch - Memorial High School 
Nicholas Bratcher - Cal State San Bernardino
Kevin Sedatole - Michigan State University
Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes - Morehouse College
Bobby Francis - Texas Christian University
Matt Klohs - Maestros With A Mission (Australia)
Matthew Westgate - University of Massachusetts - Amherst
T André Feagin - Central Washington University
Robert Carnochan - University of Miami
David Vickerman - San Jóse State University
Jacob Wallace - South Dakota State University
Tony Marinello - Illinois State University
Jason Noble - Columbia University
Chuck Maguire - The Desert Winds

RIP to my friend and colleague Sarah DelBene, flute soloist in Mvt IV ("Soul")

www.kevindaymusic.com

Concerto for Wind Ensemble - UGA Wind Ensemble, Jackie Hartenberger

Blue Hour Skyline (for orchestra) - World Premiere 
Texas State Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Jacob Harrison
Evans Auditorium, San Marcos, TX

Blue Hour Skyline - Texas State Symphony Orchestra, Jacob Harrison

Nitrous (for concert band)
Performed by the University of Texas Wind Symphony
Dr. Ryan Kelly, conductor

Nitrous or NOS is an abbreviated way to say Nitrous Oxide, the chemical compound used to make cars go at blazing speed in the Need for Speed video game series. I enjoyed playing these games a lot as a kid and decided to make that concept into a closer for concert band. 

Commissioned by Kevin Fallon for the Boswell High School Wind Symphony

Sheet Music available at Murphy Music Press
https://murphymusicpress.com/products/cb5-731

Nitrous - UT Wind Symphony, Ryan Kelly

Lightning Round - Arizona State University Wind Symphony, Jamal Duncan

Grade 4 - World Premiere at Carnegie Hall (4/19/22)
Commissioned by Jason Noble for the Scarsdale HS Wind Ensemble
In dedication to Jason's retirement from Scarsdale HS
Live Recording coming soon

River Memoria [MIDI]

DUAL STRIDES for Horn, Trombone, & Wind Ensemble - I. In Step

DUAL STRIDES for Horn, Trombone, & Wind Ensemble - II. In Tune

DUAL STRIDES for Horn, Trombone, & Wind Ensemble - III. In Sync

Fantasia IV (for bass trombone & piano)
Jim Markey, bass trombone
Víctor Cheng, piano
Premiered at the Glenn Gould School of Music
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sheet music available now:
https://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-216


Thank you to the following consortium members for making this work possible:

James Markey, Boston Symphony Orchestra (lead commissioner)
Christopher Bassett, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
Blair Bollinger, Philadelphia Orchestra
Zachary Bond, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
Dennis Bubert, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
George Curran, New York Philharmonic
Jeff Dee, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
David Hagee, United States Navy Band
Brian Hecht, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Rudi Hoehn, Santa Barbara Symphony
Gabe Langfur, Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Morgenstern, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Felix Padilla, West Point Band
Gerry Pagano, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Paul Pollard, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Adam Rainey, Kansas City Symphony
Nick Schwartz, New York City Ballet

Fantasia IV - Jim Markey, Víctor Cheng [Live Performance, Toronto, Canada]

Flash Fury (for concert band)
Commissioned by Thomas Koper for the Brennan High School Wind Ensemble, San Antonio, TX

Flash Fury - For Concert Band

Unquiet Waters (Saxophone Concerto)
Premiered at the 2023 NASA Biennial Conference in Hattiesburg, MS
University of Southern Miss Wind Ensemble
Nicki Roman, soloist
Catherine Rand, conductor

Unquiet Waters - Nicki Roman, USM Wind Ensemble, Catherine Rand

SOLARIS for tuba and piano
Commissioned by Jarrett McCourt
Recorded by Cody Engstrom
New World Symphony, Miami Beach, FL

Sheet Music LINK: https://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-237

SOLARIS for tuba and piano - Jarrett McCourt, Wesley Ducote

Michelle Cann, Thomas Mesa: Cello Sonata - III. Giocoso

Michelle Cann, Thomas Mesa: Cello Sonata - II. Lento

Michelle Cann, Thomas Mesa: Cello Sonata - I. Allegro Agitato

Kevin Day - Echoes
Finalist for the 2024 Zemlinsky Chamber Music Composition Prize

Program Note:
With it being almost seven years since writing my third piano trio, Echoes is the fourth installment of this series. This work deals with repetitions of gestures between instruments, evoking reflections of musical ideas that ebb and flow. There are also places within the repetitions that oscillate between triple and duple, creating a sense of time displacement for the listener.

ECHOES (Piano Trio 4)

STRIDE (world premiere) - Grade 4
Commissioned by the American Bandmasters Association
Conducted by Dr. Paula Crider

Premiered by the ABA Joint Armed Forces Band, including members of the U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Army Band, U.S. Army Field Band, U.S. Coast Guard Band, U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Marine Band, and the Japanese Ground Self Defense Central Band

*Sheet Music under consortium exclusivity until 2025

Recorded at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.
Thank you to the ABA and the ABA IDEA Consortium for making this possible.

STRIDE - ABA Joint Armed Forces Band, Paula Crider

Euphonium Concerto No. 2 (For Mauro Martins)
Winner of the 2025 ITEA Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Composition
Premiered at ITEC Valencia 2025

Sheet Music Available Now:
Piano Reduction - https://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-295
Band Parts Rental -https://murphymusicpress.com/products/w-1,531

Euphonium Concerto No. 2 - Third Movement

Euphonium Concerto No. 2 - Second Movement

Euphonium Concerto No. 2 - First Movement

American Pastorale (Choral Symphony)
Commissioned by High Point University
Music by Kevin Day, Text by Kincaid Rabb

Premiered by the High Point University Chorus and Wind Ensemble
Dr. Brian Meixner, Conductor & Director of Bands
Dr. Marc Foster, Director of Choirs

I. Pacific Surfliner 
II. New Orleans to Hattiesburg 
III. Grand Canyon Railway 

Sheet Music Available:
https://murphymusicpress.com/search?q...

@kevindaymusic  
@kincaid_rabb

American Pastorale - HPU Chorus and Wind Ensemble, Brian Meixner

Metrofusion - for saxophone quartet 
NASA 2026 Quartet Competition Selection (Live Round 2)
Commissioned by Director Jason Dimiceli for the McNeil HS Sax Quartet, Austin, TX
Premiered and Recorded at the 2024 Midwest Clinic, Chicago, IL

Program Note:
Metrofusion is a rhythmically energetic quartet work that features jazz elements. The title is inspired by the kinetic nature of cities, as well as different jazz fusion riffs that vary and change from section to section. The work gives each instrument in the quartet its own melodic moment, and closes with an exciting coda. 

Sheet Music (Hardcopy)
https://murphymusicpress.com/products...

Sheet Music (PDF)
https://www.kevindaymusic.com/sheet-m...

#saxophone

Metrofusion

Kevin Day, Darrell D. Day 
Atlas Will Fall (Lalovavi Promo Video Music)
LALOVAVI Promo Video: youtu.be/IYF_xLfvvUM?si=uTDEOiNQoHzHtG58

Made in Logic Pro X. 
Mixed and Mastered by my father Darrell D. Day. 

LALOVAVI: An Afrofuturist Opera 
Coming July 2026 | Cincinnati Opera
https://www.cincinnatiopera.org/lalovavi

#afrofuturism #electronic #lalovavi #

Atlas Will Fall

25 Advanced Studies for Euphonium, Etude No. 1
2026 Falcone Competition Required Music - Euphonium Student
Bass Clef Version: https://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-239
Treble Clef Version: https://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-240

25 Advanced Studies for Euphonium, Etude No. 1

Niamara's Aria (from LALOVAVI) - in English and Tut
Music: Kevin Day
Libretto: Tifara Brown
Talise Trevigne, soprano
Kevin Day, piano
Recorded at Cincinnati Music Hall
Video and Audio by Chauncey Luce/Blueprint Production House

LALOVAVI will premiere on July 9 & 11, 2026
www.cincinnatiopera.com/lalovavi

@talisetrevigne
@kevindaymusic
@tifarabrown

Words by Tifara Brown:

Lalovavi, Lalovavi, Cut-o-mum-e/tut-o/mum-e
(Love, Love, come to me.)

Lalovavi, Lalovavi, Cut-o-mum-e/tut-o/mum-e
(Love, Love, come to me).

Nun-o/mum-a-squa-tut-e-rut/waks-hash-e-rut-e-/yak-ou/jug-o
(No matter where you go)

Lalovavi, Lalovavi, Cut-o-mum-e/tut-o/mum-e
(Love, Love, come to me.)

You climb the mountains,
Or sink in the sea,
No matter where you go,
Love, come to me.

If my body becomes dust,
If my life is to cease,
On the wind, I will say,
Love, come to me. 

Lalovavi, come to me.

"Love, Come to Me" (Niamara's Aria) from LALOVAVI

Burn the Match (2025)
Jazz Ensemble MIDI - NotePerformer 5
Solo Section: Tenor Saxophone 1

Will be published and available for purchase in Spring 2026 with TUX People's Music. If you are interested in premiering/recording the work, please contact Kevin for details. Email: contact@kevindaymusic.com

www.kevindaymusic.com

Burn the Match (for Jazz Ensemble)

Composed by Kevin Day. Performed by the Lone Star Youth Winds, Bobby Francis, conductor. 
Winner of the 2015-2016 Dallas Winds Fanfare Composition Contest.

Fireworks Fanfare (Lone Star Youth Winds, Bobby Francis)

Danza Del Sol for Orchestra (2018) is an energetic work that features elements of romantic and latin music. The piece also has a woodwind chamber music section and a very cinematic slow section. The piece ends tying all of the previously heard motifs together and ends triumphant and climactic. The inspiration to the piece came very quickly to me just sitting at a table at home and with this "out-of-the-blue" inspiration, I composed the work in three days and then went back later to make edits. I had a lot of fun writing this and chose to dedicate the work to my friend and mentor Dr. Germán Gutiérrez, Director of Orchestras at Texas Christian University (TCU).

Danza Del Sol

Danza Del Sol - MIDI

All The Day Long (2017)
Grade 4 

Commissioned by Eric Rettig and the Brenham High School Band Boosters, Brehnam, TX, for the retirement of Mrs. Sue Fletcher

Premiere recording by the Brehnam HS Symphonic Band, Eric Rettig, conductor

Based on the hymn Blessed Assurance

*currently unpublished, TBD at a later date

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, & Soundcloud
@kevindaymusic

www.kevindaymusic.com

All The Day Long (Brehnam HS Symphonic Band, Eric Rettig)

Rocketship! by Kevin Day
Grade 3

Performed by the Alabama All-State "White" Band at the AMEA Conference
Conducted by Julie Giroux

Sheet music available @ Murphy Music Press, LLC

Rocketship! (Alabama All-State Band, Julie Giroux)

**Winner of the 2019 BMI Student Composer Awards**
*Finalist for the 2019 National Band Association William Revelli Composition Contest

Premiered by the TCU Wind Symphony
Bobby Francis, conductor
Recorded by Brian Youngblood
Edited by Kevin Day

Sheet music available at www.murphymusicpress.com

Grade 5
Completed October 2018
7.5 minutes approx.
Latin-influenced Wind Ensemble Work

"Havana" was a wind ensemble piece that I started working on in 2017, got about 30 measures into writing, and then put on the shelf. I couldn’t think of what to do with it or come up with an idea, so I ended up just putting it aside until I could. I ended up forgetting about it and while I was searching through my music files on night in September 2018, I stumbled on this work and found inspiration to write on what I had. I wanted to tell a story with the piece and make it authentic and so I spent a lot of time carefully writing the work. 

"Havana" (for Wind Ensemble) is a 7.5-minute work that is heavily influenced on Cuban music, rhythms, and percussion. I wanted to highlight different dance genres such as Salsa, Mambo, and Cha-Cha, while also making the piece in my own voice. I have a strong love for Latin music and so this was incredibly fun to write. There are many “Latin-influenced” pieces for band already and so I wanted to make this one stand out as one that is exciting and memorable. I hope that performers and audiences will tap their foot, bop their heads, and feel the music.


www.kevindaymusic.com
@kevindaymusic

Enjoy!

Desktop

Havana - TCU Wind Symphony, Bobby Francis (Premiere)

(2019)
Grade 4

Written for the Arlington High School Band Program (Arlington, TX) and directors Michael Hejny, Nathan Burum, Nathan Hervey, and Brian Lowe, In dedication to the family of Jonathan Foreman, in loving memory (2000-2018). �

Available at Murphy Music Press

Program Note:
A Song for Tomorrow is a composition that is very near and dear to my heart. The piece was composed in memory of my friend Jonathan Foreman, who tragically died in September of 2018. Jonathan, his older brother David, and their family and I were close when we were in high school and so his death hit me very hard; as well as the family, and the students and faculty of Arlington High School. For his funeral, the room was packed with Arlington High School teachers, students, and alumni who knew Jonathan. Arlington High School was always a family and so it was amazing to see how many people came out to support and say their goodbyes. After the funeral service, I felt a deep pulling on my heart that I need to write something for David and the Foreman family, as a tribute to Jonathan. I pondered what to do for months until I was able to come up with a title and an idea for the piece. The title of the composition, A Song for Tomorrow, is inspired by a Latin phrase that was printed on Jonathan’s funeral program. This phrase read “Cras alius dies est”, which means “Tomorrow is Another Day”. 

The song is meant to embody who Jonathan was, and provide hope and comfort to the family and friends who knew him for the days to come. The song features a chorale that I came up with that comes back in different forms throughout the piece. Jonathan was a trumpet player and so I wrote an off-stage trumpet solo that is played (which represents him), as well as a trumpet section feature that builds the climax of the piece. The piece explores different conflictions and dissonances, until coming to a peaceful resolution. This was incredibly hard for me to write and so I wanted to make sure that I put everything in my heart into this work. I hope that this piece can be comforting and provide peace to all who have lost someone close to them. I hope it gives them the strength to carry on through the days ahead, for every tomorrow that comes.

A Song for Tomorrow - Arlington High School Wind Symphony (Premiere)

A Hymn for Peace (2017)
Composed by Kevin Day
TSU Symphonic Winds (Seth Davis, conductor)
Performed in concert March 2019

2019, March 1

A Hymn for Peace (Texas State University Symphonic Winds, Seth Davis)

Lightspeed (Fanfare for Orchestra) 

Commissioned for the Washington and Lee University Orchestra, Dr. Chris Dobbins, director 


www.kevindaymusic.com

Lightspeed: Fanfare for Orchestra [MIDI]

Shimmering Sunshine (Grade 4)
Consortium Premiere
San José State University Wind Ensemble
David Vickerman, conductor

SHEET MUSIC NOW AVAILABLE (Happy New Year!)
http://www.murphymusicpress.com/products/w-678

www.kevindaymusic.com

Shimmering Sunshine - San José State University Wind Ensemble, David Vickerman

Concerto for Euphonium & Wind Ensemble (2018, rev. 2019)
Hiram Diaz, euphonium of "The President's Own" Marine Band
Performed with "The Pershing's Own" Army Band
Fort Myer, VA | 2020 U.S. Army Band Tuba/Euphonium Workshop

www.kevindaymusic.com
Contact: kevindaymusic@gmail.com

EUPHONIUM CONCERTO - Hiram Diaz, "The Pershing's Own" United States Army Band

Galactic Voyage (2018)
Grade 5
Commissioned by Jonathan Schiffler for the Dominion High School Wind Symphony, Sterling, VA
Recorded by the Cal-State Fullerton Symphonic Winds, Dustin Barr, conductor
Mastered by Christian Amonson (Arts Laureate)

www.andwewereheard.org

Sheet Music Coming Soon! (Murphy Music Press)

And We Were Heard

Galactic Voyage - Cal-State Fullerton Symphonic Winds (And We Were Heard Collaboration Project)

Pyrotechnics: Concerto for Trumpet (Premiere Recording)
I. Spark
II. Embers
III. Blaze Away

Jens Lindemann, Trumpet
Texas Christian University Wind Symphony
Bobby Francis, Conductor

Premiered at the 2020 Texas Music Educators Association Conference (TMEA)
Recorded by Mark Custom Recordings 
All Rights Reserved. (c)2020

Sheet music available at http://murphymusicpress.com/products/w-548

2020 TMEA

Pyrotechnics: Concerto for Trumpet - Jens Lindemann, TCU Wind Symphony

Ember Skies (2020)
Grade 1 - Concert Band 

Now published with Murphy Music Press
http://murphymusicpress.com/products/w-732

Email composer for details: 
kevindaymusic@gmail.com

www.kevindaymusic.com

Ember Skies - Lawrence University Concert Band, Jade Dikelsky

Ignition (for low brass quartet)
Premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra Low Brass Section
For the 2020 Tanglewood Online Festival

Toby Oft, alto trombone
Steven Lange, tenor trombone
James Markey, bass trombone
Mike Roylance, tuba

Sheet music available at Murphy Music Press
(*tenor trombone 1 part available, if no alto trombone)
http://murphymusicpress.com/products/b-138

www.kevindaymusic.com

Ignition - Boston Symphony Orchestra Low Brass

Metallic Figures (Concerto for Tuba)
Commissioned by Dr. Jeremy Lewis, Assistant Professor of Tuba/Euphonium at West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX

I. Fury
II. Time
III. Vengence

To be premiered in 2020-2021
More details to come soon. 

www.kevindaymusic.com

Metallic Figures - I. Fury

Windborne: Concerto for Horn - I. Aero-Schematics

Dr. Kevin Day (b. 1996) is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary composer, jazz pianist and conductor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Internationally acclaimed as one of the world’s leading musical voices, Dr. Day’s work is known as a vibrant exploration of diverse musical traditions from contemporary classical, jazz, R&B, Soul and more. A unique voice in the world of classical music, Dr. Day takes inspiration from a broad range of sources, including romanticism, late 20th century music, jazz fusion and gospel. Across all areas, his work explores the complex interplay of rhythm, texture and melody across genres.

Dr. Day burst onto the musical scene in 2018 with his Concerto for Euphonium, which has since gone on to become a Classic FM sensation and has been recently performed by the United States Marine Band. Since then, some of the world’s top instrumental soloists, wind bands, chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras have commissioned and performed his works, including the Boston Brass, Castle of Our Skins, Cincinnati Opera, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Winds, the National Intercollegiate Band, Nu Deco Ensemble, Capitol Quartet, Puerto Rican Trombone Ensemble, Syrinx Quintet, Sheffield Chamber Players and many others throughout the United States, Canada, Austria, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia and Japan. His music has also been streamed over a million times across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, & SoundCloud. Dr. Day is the recipient of numerous awards, including the TCU Band of Fame, ITEA Harvey Phillips Award for Excellence in Composition, a Copland House Residency Award, the MacDowell Fellowship for Music Composition, the BMI Composer Award, the TCU Alumni Outstanding Young Professional Award, a three-time ASCAP Morton Gould Finalist, a finalist for the ABA Sousa-Ostwald Award, a finalist for the NBA Revelli Award, and many more. 

Dr. Day’s original opera, Lalovavi: An Afrofuturist Opera, will premiere July 2026 at the Cincinnati Opera as the lead work in its ground-breaking new Black Opera Project. The work is the first of three commissioned by the Cincinnati Opera as part of its initiative to engage Black creators in developing new works celebrating Black stories. As part of the project, Dr. Day is collaborating with renowned director Kimille Howard and librettist Tifara Brown, who’s recognized as one of the country’s leading performance poets. Other recent works include his acclaimed Concerto for Wind Ensemble and Birds in the Cathedral, as well as Ignition, commissioned by the Boston Symphony Low Brass and Unquiet Waters, commissioned by Jordan VanHemert.

In addition to his work as a composer, Dr. Day also enjoys an active career as a jazz pianist. Passionate about collaborations that reimagine and advance the future of jazz as an art form, he brings his extensive musical background to the stage and studio as improviser and collaborator. He’s currently working on a debut solo album. His music has been featured on numerous high profile releases, including albums by Thomas Mesa and Michelle Cann, The Alias Chamber Ensemble, Jeremy Wilson, Jarrett McCourt, and Nicki Roman.

Dr. Day currently works as Artist Teacher in Residence, Composition at the Keys Conservatory at the Pinecrest Academy in Henderson, Nevada. He holds degrees from Texas Christian University (TCU), the University of Georgia, and the University of Miami. He has studied composition with Dorothy Hindman, Charles Norman Mason, Peter Van Zandt Lane, Emily Koh, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Neil Anderson-Himmelspach. Dr. Day is an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, an honorary member of the National Chapter of Tau Beta Sigma, and an honorary member of the National Chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Kevin Day

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