Whale Ballet (two tenor trombones + piano)

Whale Ballet (2024) imagines whales participating in a synchronized swimming routine.

On a deeper (hah!) level, I wrote this during a major career change that has taken me out of agriculture and into the office. During those changes I thought of Gracie, the female from the pair of humpback whales retrieved by the Enterprise crew in Star Trek IV in order to repopulate the 23rd century ocean. Like me, she was taken out of her familiar environment and landed somewhere new. From farm to community, from 1986 to 2286, from Bb major to G major -- this piece is about transitions and changes. But again, mostly it's about whales participating in a synchronized swimming routine. Written for Alex Iles and a friend of his choosing!

Whale Ballet is approximately 4:15 and scored for two tenor trombones and piano. The entirety of the piece is written in a lilting 5/8.

Premiered at ITF 2024: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/g4DQPswoXuZJjLec/?mibextid=oFDknk