EMBLEMS OF SACRIFICE

Emblems of Sacrifice was originally commissioned as a grade 2-3 work by the Second Winds Community Band of McMinnville Oregon specifically for performance on the ensemble’s annual Veterans Day concert. The lyrical, dignified work was composed to honor all veterans in the commissioning ensemble’s region of Yamhill County Oregon. The November 6, 2016 premiere performance, entitled I Remember Vietnam, served to underscore a slide presentation comprising the images of veterans in the community, including those current and former members of the Second Winds Community Band. This composition is dedicated to these local veterans - and their counterparts found in every region of the United States - who have served, and who currently serve, in our nation’s military branches as the true emblems of sacrifice. The Emblems of Sacrifice hymn was expanded and adapted from the composer's SYMPHONY NO. 4 – UNFORSAKEN, commissioned by the Musashino Academia Musicae Wind Ensemble, directed by Ray E. Cramer, and commemorates the opening of the academy’s new facilities. The commissioning ensemble premiered the work on July 11, 2017 at the Opera City Concert Hall in Tokyo Japan. This reconstructed, grade 5 edition of Emblems of Sacrifice is based on the expanded version found in SYMPHONY NO. 4 – UNFORSAKEN and was commissioned by the Pine Creek High School Symphonic Band (Colorado Springs, CO), Kate Margrave, director.