the 50 state string orchestra project

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The 50 State String Orchestra Project is a large-scale consortium commission that is bringing new music to classrooms and concert halls all over the US, with educational and community orchestras in all 50 states commissioning a new piece for string orchestra.

This project is about helping young people make connections and memories across state and cultural borders, it is about introducing the breadth and strength of the US strings community to those outside it, and it is about celebrating the incredible resilience and courage of US strings programs and their directors as they restart and regroup in this post-covid Era.

The project’s resulting work, Four Future Memories is similar in difficulty level and scope to Stephanie’s 2011 work for string orchestra Beyond the Gate, and her consortium commissions for chamber music have already brought new string-centered music all across the world, from her 50 State Sonata Project for violin + piano, inspired by the work of her teacher John Kendall, and her World Sonata Project, which was commissioned by violinists from 35 countries in 2016.

PROJECT DETAILS

MUSIC:
for string orchestra with optional harp and 3rd violin parts
Grade 3/4 — Music (pdf score + parts) available now
10 minutes, three movements
email for perusal score + recording

EXTRAS:
includes an hour-long zoom clinic with your ensemble
includes a page on this website about you and your program
includes various press and social media efforts to publicize your concert(s)

FEE: $500
(or preorder the music ($250))

WHY A CONSORTIUM?: Breaking the cost of composing the work into many small parts helps the experience of working with a living composer a lot more feasible to a lot more people! Read about how much new music really costs here.

TIMELINE:
The included zoom clinic can be scheduled through 2025
You can play and program the piece with your ensemble as much as you want and at any point during this time!
Consortium members have exclusive access to the piece through August 2024

Send me an email to Join the Consortium or Pre-Order Music

(I know that not all budgets are created equal—reach out if your budget cannot accommodate and we’ll figure it out!)

The 50 State Projects are consortiums that work to connect people from all over the United States, using the creation, preparation, and performance of a new piece of music to help make connections and memories across state and cultural borders. See the original 50 State Project here.

FOUR FUTURE MEMORIES
AT CARNEGIE HALL

Performed by consortium members Peter Jagdeo and the Tomball Memorial Orchestra

I. TWILIGHT MEMOIRE

a Lyrical short story:
takes us through a series of melodic tableaus as our main character reflects on an entire life in old age.

Twilight Memoir focuses on breathing and playing as a group, slurring in myriad patterns, and long dynamic builds and ebbs.

II. Watercolor to the Moon

a Vignette short story:
paints an eerie, dreamy trip around the moon in pastel hues.

Watercolor to the Moon focuses on tone color, employing harmonics and bowing techniques to make subtle shifts in the movement's pastel harmonies alongside sudden changes in dynamic.

III. RHYTHMICS ON MARS

an Adventure short story:
is just that: a short, fast, vibrant excursion.

Rhythmics on Mars focuses on grooves and hemiolas and the fiery side of the technique palette: accents, repeated down bows, Bartok pizzicati, and double stops.

The fourth memory? That's your own that you're making as you learn and play the piece or listen to it. Ask any musician about their favorite memories from formative years and dollars to donuts their answer will include an eager retelling of some youth orchestra concert. And lucky you that you're here, in this moment, in the middle of creating this memory for the yourself that you'll be tomorrow, a year from now, and decades down the road.

Meet the Consortium!