I. SOWED THE SEEDS OF LOVE

II. THERE WAS A TREE

III. MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN

IV. THE SONG OF THE BLACKSMTH

V. I LOVE MY LOVE

VI. SWANSEA TOWN

This set of 13 carols is of medium level.  It will for any CHristmas holiday season gig.

I. Adeste Fidelis

II. Carol of the Bells

III. Carol of the Russian Children

IV. Deck the Halls

V. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

VI. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

VII. Jingle Bells!

VIII. Joy to the World

IX. Silent Night

X. Wassail Song

XI. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

XII. Westminster Carol

XIII. What Child is This?

with Piano; Commissioned by the International Women's Brass Conference, 2014; Playable on Trombone or Euphonium.  Bass clef and treble clef solo parts provided.

2017 The Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival Competition Music

Video perfromance by Austin Seybert.

with Piano

This piece was not written specifically in response to either the poem by Maya Angelou or that by Paul Dunbar that both refer to “the caged bird”. However, there is no doubt that both poems have inspired my own further exploration and now musical extrapolation on the subject of being “caged” and of still “singing” in spite of this. With all due respect and admiration for Ms. Angelou and Mr. Dunbar, I have attempted here in my own concept of “cagedness” to include, beyond  racial references, also those issues that include gender, sexuality, economic status, medical/physical problems and any number of other situations that create restrictive and even imprisoning boundaries from which we and all others struggle to break free and find fully human, creative and even spiritual expression within ourselves. Even within the many bonds and restrictive boundaries that we often find ourselves, it still seems to be a fundamental part of our Nature as both human and Spiritual beings that we cannot help but “sing” in both joy and praise both from ourselves and to our own Creator despite the sometimes, even apparently insurmountable obstacles we encounter. For me, this piece is not so much an exploration as to “why the caged bird sings” as it is simply a commenting, even with some measure of wonderment, on its remarkable inevitability.