Kelly's Field

Jennifer Higdon

2006

Band

“Kelly’s Field” is a tribute to conductor, Mark Kelly, my former band director and conducting teacher at Bowling Green State University. It was commissioned by Midwest in honor of a gentleman who has given so much in the fields of wind ensemble performance and music education, touching thousands of lives through many years of service. Thinking of what type of music would be appropriate to honor “Chief”, I felt that a tapestry of playful gestures and bold statements would most accurately reflect his knowledge and gifts that always become evident upon his ascending a podium. Some of my most vivid musical memories come from performing as a member of one of his various bands at Bowling Green, including a truly inspiring performance at Midwest. To this day, when I write music, I recall the thrill of the sound of an ensemble coming together to communicate through the power of music, and I aspire to climb to that level of excitement in the pieces that I write. Only a profound musician, such as he, can create such distinct memories in the minds and hearts of so many young musicians, striving to grow and growing to play, in a field that I distinctly consider…”Kelly’s Field”.

This work was commissioned by the Midwest Band Clinic in 2006 and premiered at the festival in Chicago, Illinois, in December of that year.

--Jennifer Higdon