Scroll to the bottom of the page to hear a MIDI rendering of this work.

Ascension is the brainchild of Kyler Thomas, lead commissioner of the piece, who approached me about this piece when he was still a student at the University of Central Arkansas and I was still teaching there. The title comes from the program for the piece that Kyler designed, which can be summarized as wanting to rise above your circumstances in life to build a better future for yourself. The work is through-composed without breaks but split into four broad sections (or “movements”) as requested by the commissioner. He envisioned a semi-biographical piece following a young person’s life (you can read the full progression of the piece in the program notes in the images to the right). This work is available for solo bass trombone with piano or trombone choir (purchase the bundle to get both versions).

Length: 13 minutes

Range: Lowest note is pedal F, highest note is Bb4.