Blue Ridge Reel (Flex)

Brian Balmages

Brian Balmages

General Info

Year: 2013 / 2020
Duration: c. 2:50
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: FJH Music Co.
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $60.00; (digital) - $60.00

Instrumentation (Flexible)

(Includes Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 for each instrument)

Full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet
F Horn
Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
Piano
Guitar
Percussion

• Snare Drum
• Spoons/Castenets
• Tambourine
• Vibraphone
• Washboard/Guiro

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Blue Ridge Reel was inspired by a recent visit to Ashville for the National Convention of the American Band Directors Association. I was extremely taken with the fun vibe of the town, located in the mountains of North Carolina. During the trip, I had an opportunity to hear several bluegrass bands, including a great performance during a dinner and special tour of the Biltmore Estate. I love the rich heritage of the music of the mountains of the Eastern United States. Many influences in the region come from the rich cultures of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This fiddle music eventually played a major role in the development of country and bluegrass music.

The title, Blue Ridge Reel, pays homage to the Blue Ridge Mountains. While influenced by the form and style of a traditional Irish reel, the music certainly heads in some contemporary directions as it seeks to mix the modern feel of a city like Ashville with its deeply engrained musical roots. It is also deeply influenced by the untimely passing of Davidson College mathematics professor Robert Whitton, a music lover and major supporter of local musicians. Shortly before his passing, over 100 friends and family gathered in downtown Davidson to participate in a New Orleans-style march through the city. Thus, this piece ties together the spirit of that New Orleans march with my own personal bluegrass experiences in Ashville ... This marks my first time exploring this particular fusion of styles in the wind band idiom, but certainly not my last!

- Program Notes by composer

Media

• Audio: Reference recording (Brian Balmages, conductor)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

• Ouachita Baptist University (Arkadelphia, Ark.) Wind Ensemble (Craig V. Hamilton, conductor) - 31 October 2022
• Acalanes High School (Lafayette, Calif.) Symphonic Band (Lauren Gibson, conductor) - 12 May 2021
• South Dakota State University (Brookings) Concert Band (Kevin Kessler, conductor) - 25 April 2021
• University of Dubuque (Iowa) Concert Band (Cassandra Blanchard, conductor) - 14 April 2021
• University of Nebraska Kearney Wind Ensemble (Duane Bierman, conductor) - 8 April 2021
• Sacramento (Calif.) State University Concert Band (Matthew Morse, conductor) – 2 December 2020
• Pittsburg (Kan.) State University Wind Ensemble - 24 September 2020

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

• Arabian Dances (Adaptable Band) (2009/2021)
• Arith-Metric No. 1 (Adaptable Band) (2020)
• Blue Ridge Reel (Adaptable Band) (2013/2020)
• Colliding Visions (Adaptable Band) (2010/2020)
• Focal Point (Adaptable Band) (2021)
• Focal Point. See also: Suite Treats
• Jungle Dance (Adaptable Band) (2011/2022)
• A Little Matrix Music (Adaptable Band) (2020)
• Moscow, 1941 (Adaptable Band) (2006/2020)

All Wind Works

• 3, 2, 1... (2019)
• Action Scene (2022)
• African Journey (2001)
• Always United, Forever Strong (2013)
• American Big Top (2018)
• Among the Clouds (2004)
• Apollo (2008)
• Apparitions (2010)
• Arabian Dances (2009)
• Arabian Dances (Adaptable Band) (2009/2021)
• Arctic Wars (2020)
• Arith-Metric No. 1 (Adaptable Band) (2020)
• The Awakening (2003)
• Backstage Pass (2015)
• Beyond the Summit (2004)
• Blue Ridge Impressions (2001)
• Blue Ridge Reel (2013)
• Blue Ridge Reel (Adaptable Band) (2013/2020)
• Boom and Bust (2018)
• Breaking Point (2019)
• Breaking Through (2021)
• Bright Morning Stars
• Bringer of War (2017)
• The Broken Marionette (2014)
• Call of the Wild (2013)
• Camptown Variations (2001)
• Centennium (2021)
• Central Junction (2011)
• Chant and Savage Dance (2005)
• Chesapeake Serenade (2002)
• Clutch (2023)
• Colliding Visions (2010)
• Colliding Visions (Adaptable Band) (2010/2020)
• Comet Ride (2006)
• Concerto for Two Hands (2015)
• Conquest (2003)
• Courtly Dance and Procession (2004)
• Creatures in the Attic (2010)
• The Crystal Fountain (2022)
• Dragonfly (2001)
• Eagles Among Us (2017)
• Electricity (2009)
• Elements (2010)
• Emblazoned (2023)
• Enchantment (2013)
• Endless Rainbows (2013)
• Escapades (2005/2017)
• Escape from the Deep (2010)
• Etowah (2008)
• Evocatio (2014)
• Falcon Fanfare (2012)
• Fanfare Canzonique (2003)
• Fanfare Forza (2022)
• Fanfare Heroica (2011)
• Fanfare and Fireworks (2012)
• Fanfare on a Theme of Imagination (2015)
• A Festive Fanfare (2017)
• A Festive Finale (2019)
• Fiesta de los Toros (2017)
• The Fire's Fury (2022)
• Flight (2005)
• Flight of the Griffin (2003)
• Focal Point (Adaptable Band) (2021)
• Focal Point. See also: Suite Treats
• Forever... (2014)
• Fusion (2007)
• Gateways (2018)
• Gettysburg (2002)
• Grace (2016)
• Gravity Wave (2011)
• Groove Music (2013)
• Haunted Clocks (2014)
• Heart of Gold (2020)
• A Hero's Destiny (1999)
• Homage to Bharat (2018)
• A House Divided (2013)
• Hypnotic Fireflies (2012)
• Ichabod Fanfare (2011)
• Images of Ireland (2004)
• In Nature's Glory (2002)
• Incantation and Ritual (2004)
• Industrial Loops (2017)
• Infinite Hope (2018)
• Instant Christmas Spirit (2001)
• Into the Arctic (2015)
• Invictus (2000)
• Jingle Bell Tones (2004)
• Journal for a Soldier (2010)
• Journey By Night (1998)
• Joy in All Things (2012)
• Joy of Life (2015)
• Jungle Dance (2011)
• Jungle Dance (Adaptable Band) (2011/2022)
• Kilauea (2005)
• Kindred Spirits (2009)
• Kitsune: The Fox Spirits (2010)
• Kyiv, 2022 (2022)
• Legacy (2002)
• Legend (2001)
• Legend of the Drop Bear (2016)
• A Life Worth Living (2023)
• A Light at the End of Forever (2016)
• A Little Matrix Music (Adaptable Band) (2020)
• Lone, Wild Bird (as arranger) (c. 1835/2023)
• Loudoun Praises (2005)
• Love and Light (2020)
• Lullaby to the Moon (2017)
• Majestica (2006)
• Marche Diabolique (2014)
• Metal (2013)
• Metamorphic Dances (2019)
• Midnight on Main Street (2009)
• Midnight Suite
  • Midnight Mission (2005)
  • Midnight Sky (2006)
  • Midnight Madness (2007)
• Miles of Blue (2020)
• Miramar Fanfare (2003)
• Moscow, 1941 (2006)
• Moscow, 1941 (Adaptable Band) (2006/2020)
• Motion (2006)
• Nevermore (2011)
• Not Afraid to Dream (2006)
• The Nutcracker (as arranger) (2008)
• O Mio Babbino Caro (2000)
• Of Emperors and Chariots (2000)
• Olympia (2005)
• On Top of the World (2017)
• Open Space (2014)
• Parade of the Jesters (2002)
• Pele (2004)
• Phasing Thunder (2014)
• Pikes Peak (2019)
• Pixelated World (2020)
• Pride of the Clipper (2020)
• Primal Dances (2018)
• Proclamation (2000)
• Proudly We Hail (as arranger) (1814/2002)
• Radiance (2018)
• Raging Machines (2008)
• Rain (2008)
• Rapture (2022)
• Renaissance Reimagined (2017)
• Reverberations (2009)
• Rhythms and Riffs‎ (2008)
• Rippling Watercolors (2015)
• Rise of the Bladesmith (2012)
• Rite of Passage (2000)
• Rocky Mountain Romp (2007)
• Sapier's Story (2002)
• Scenes from an Ocean Voyage (2009)
• A Scottish Festival (2021)
• Shadow Waltzes (2016)
• Shadows Unleashed (2013)
• Shenandoah Triptych (2002)
• Shrine of the Fallen (2016)
• Silence Overwhelmed (2010)
• Smithsonian Suite (2003)
• A Solitary Wish (2017/2018)
• Sound Prisms (2002)
• Sparks (2007)
• The Spirit of Aloha (2015)
• Spirit of the Stallion (2016)
• Spontaneous Beings (2017)
• Stages (2021)
• Stampede (2010)
• Star Above, Shine Brightly (2001)
• The Star-Spangled Banner (as arranger) (1814/2014)
• Starscapes (2007)
• Starsplitter Fanfare (2009)
• Still (2012)
• Suite Treats. See: Focal Point
• Summer Dances (2000)
• Summer Resounding! (2008)
• Summit City (2006)
• Sun Cycles (2012)
• Super (Em)Powers (2020)
• Swirling Prisms (2017)
• Symphonic Episodes (2004)
• Symphony No. 1 for Brass (1998)
• Synthesis (2016)
• The Tears of Arizona (2016)
• Temple of the Murals (2011)
• That Which Binds Us (2015)
• Three Celtic Dances (2008)
• Thrill Ride (2019)
• Through Courageous Eyes (2003)
• Through the Mist (2009)
• Thunderbolt Fanfare (2019)
• To Dance Among the Stars (2020)
• Tomorrow's Yesterdays (2011)
• Trust in Angels (2017)
• Twittering Machine (2017)
• Unknown (2022)
• A View of the World (2001)
• Waves (2007)
• Whale Warriors (2009)
• What I Do Today... (2022)
• When Spirits Soar (2006)
• Whispering Winds (2003)
• The Wild One! (2023)
• Winged Victory (2007)
• Wings to the Mind (2021)
• Winter Dances (2001)
• Within the Castle Walls (2012)

Resources

• Brian Balmages website Accessed 15 September 2020
• Creative Repertoire Initiative
• Flaherty, Jean. "Blue Ridge Reel by Brian Balmages ." Literature for a Pandemic (and Beyond),. Web. Accessed 24 August 2020
• Perusal score