Fanfare for the Promise of America Composed in celebration of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary—and with the 250th Anniversary of American independence on the horizon—I set out to write a work that engages the growing debate around a fundamental question: What is an American?

For me, the answer is quite simple. The fabric of the music I compose is interwoven with the soiled cloth of the Cherokee, the once-enslaved, the westward-bound immigrant, and the unapologetically flawed humans who forged our nation-state. There is no America without the contradictions, contributions, resistances, and imperfections of the many—some well documented, most forgotten, unnamed, or faceless. America is not one religion, one color, and certainly not any singular musical style.

Originally scored for Norwegian trumpet soloist Tine Thing Helseth, who was scheduled to perform, the pandemic struck at the eleventh hour. The brilliant Brandon Ridenour stepped in masterfully, bringing his own voice to the work. My deepest thanks to Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for this historically profound opportunity.