Sculptures by Carl Schroeder

SCULPTURES
FOR CONCERT BAND

Commissioned for the 2022 THREE RIVERS CONFERENCE HONOR BAND
Southeast Minnesota, Reid Wixson, conductor

ABOUT THE COMPOSITION

Sculptures, a concert band work commissioned for the 2022 Three Rivers Conference Honor Band in southeast Minnesota under the direction of Reid Wixson, is a work that celebrates the human need to look forward to something fun and exciting, even in our current times when it may be easy to get discouraged. It draws specific inspiration from one of the composer’s favorite things to look forward to: the outdoor pianos placed throughout downtown Minneapolis in the summer months, which are decorated with paintings by local artists. The main thematic material of the piece was improvised in June 2022 on one of the downtown pianos, one decorated with artwork of sculptures from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Composed in summer 2022, Sculptures has a duration of two and a half minutes.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Carl Schroeder of Minneapolis, Minnesota, composes music for concert band, orchestra, choir, chamber ensembles and solo piano that often draws inspiration from American history, current events, natural surroundings and memories. His large ensemble music has been performed by more than 40 concert bands, orchestras and choirs, including the Air Force Band of Mid-America, Minnesota Youth Symphonies and Chamber Choir Kyiv. He has written works on commissions from the Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Minnesota State Band, Cornell University Symphonic Band, Southwest Wind Ensemble, Calhoun-Isles Community Band, Wells Fargo Chorus and other ensembles and individuals. His music is featured on five CD recordings, his choral work Two December Carols is published by Boosey & Hawkes, and his concert band work Spin is published by C. Alan Publications.

Schroeder is a 2005 graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he studied composition primarily with Timothy Mahr and Peter Hamlin. In 2001, he was named "Composer with Most Potential" by the Minnesota Music Educators Association, and in 2004 he was one of three under-25 American composers chosen to participate in the National Band Association’s Young Composer Mentor Project, where he took lessons with composers Mark Camphouse, Donald Grantham and Dana Wilson. He composed Sculptures during the summer of 2022.

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