PARAGON 

For 6 Bb Trumpets • Difficulty: Medium to Advanced

    Cloud Gate, in Chicago’s Millennium Park, is a 110-ton elliptical sculpture that, at various angles, reflects the skyline and the clouds. It possesses reflective powers unlike any other and has attracted tourists for many years.

    As a frequent visitor of Chicago, I tend to get a lot of inspiration from the city and its amazing architecture. It is in that way that this piece PARAGON reflects the model of excellence in the city’s art and architecture. Even through the prospective of Cloud Gate, a certain majesty makes one step back and take in all of the fabulous structures.

  A bright and punchy fanfare starts the work that then goes into sweeping and tight harmonic lines. The work then goes into a slower section that uses call and responses to lead into a moving passage that portrays the view of the skyline. After building back momentum, the piece ends with luminous antiphonal motifs before giving way to the last bar!

    This work was one of six winning compositions in the Alabama Music Educators Association’s Young Composers Composition Contest and is dedicated to Mr. Erik Morales for his incredible friendship and mentorship.