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apropergoodbye

A PROPER GOODBYE

“Puckett is adept at moving between extreme points on the tonal spectrum for expressive effect”

Opera News
Live Performance by Gerard Morris and the Puget Sound Wind Ensemble

wind ensemble
12 minutes

commissioned by the Bridgeworks Project and CBDNA Western and Northwestern divisions

SCORING

Flute I-II-III-IV [IV doubles picc.]
Oboe I-II
B-flat Clarinets I-II-III [at least 2 on a part]
Bass Clarinet
Bassoon I-II
Alto Saxophone I-II
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trumpet in B-flat I-II-III
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Double Bass


Percussion 5 players
Timpani
Piano

PROGRAM NOTE

I have never been good at saying goodbye. I find it difficult to quickly sum up time shared with a pithy comment or words of gratitude. I usually prefer to simply vanish and remember the meaningful time spent together. Let me be clear: This is a terrible way to say goodbye.

I recently said goodbye to a great friend and mentor who lost an epic battle with cancer. Fortunately, he did not share my fondness for ghosting. He demanded I come to his hospice bed to spend long afternoons sitting quietly together listening to a good hard rain, talking about music, family, and a life meaningfully lived. I am so grateful he did.

a proper goodbye was commissioned by the Bridgeworks Project via the CDBNA Western and Northwestern divisions with support from the following specific programs:

Arizona State University – Jason Caslor
Brigham Young University-Idaho – Diane Soelberg California State Polytechnic University-Pomona – Rickey Badua
California State University-East Bay – Danielle Gaudry
California State University-Los Angeles – Emily Moss
California State University-Sonoma – Andy Collinsworth
Eastern Arizona College – Geoff DeSpain
Grand Street Community Band – David Blumenthal
Pacific University – Michael Burch-Pesses
Puget Sound University – Gerard Morris
University of British Columbia – Robert Taylor
University of Nevada-Reno – Reed Chamberlin
Utah Valley University – Thomas Keck
Washington State University – Troy Bennefield

PERUSAL SCORE
RECORDING