City of Bridges (2017) ~4’

[2222 4231 timp+2 strings]

Premiered by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on February 17, 2017 at Heinz Hall.

City of Bridges represents my impression of three unique aspects about Pittsburgh: the bridges, the rivers, and the people. When I first started to write this, I had the idea of incorporating a tune by Steven Foster, a Pittsburgh native, into the piece. As I was going through Foster’s pieces, I came across a little known tune titled “A Thousand Miles From Home.” Since the piece was commissioned for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra’s tour to Spain, I thought that the title would fit the occasion. I used a short melody from that song as inspiration for one of the main motifs of City of Bridges. Then, I created the other melodies to represent the bridges and the rivers. The bridge theme is pointillistic and structured, while the river theme is flowing and smooth. Each of the themes is presented separately, but then come together at the end in a triumphant finish.