hope through the dark
for grade 5 wind ensemble
Duration: 7’45”
With Hope Through the Dark, Nadine was awarded the 2023 International Alliance for Women in Music’s Alex Shapiro Prize.
Instrumentation:
1 piccolo, 2 flutes, oboe (div.), 1 English horn, 1 clarinet in E-flat, 4 clarinets in B-flat, 1 bass clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, 1 tenor saxophone, 1 baritone saxophone, 2 bassoons
4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in B-flat, 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, euphonium (div.), tuba (div.)
timpani, snare drum, whip/suspended cymbal, xylophone/vibraphone, marimba, piano, string bass
Program Note:
Hope Through the Dark represents a journey through healing. At times it feels like there is no end to the incessant darkness, be it grief, trauma, or any other kind of emotional pain. Other times, the dark comes out of nowhere, even when it seems like it might be finally gone. Some days, it might feel like the ability to feel emotions at all has disappeared. All of these feelings (or lack thereof) are portrayed throughout this work.
Throughout the piece, there are musical dualities between insecurity and confidence, regression and progression, bad days and good days. These are represented musically through shifts in tonality, articulations, meter. It is extremely emotional, but it is precisely the persistence of that emotion and my ability to experience it that brings me hope through the dark.
Buy the score and parts here!
Performed by the Rutgers University Wind Ensemble directed by Dr. Kraig Allan Williams at Rutgers University on February 25th, 2023.