Ante Meridian: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

$49.00 USD

Ante Meridian: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Ante Meridian: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-47466
Price: 49.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Todd Parrish

Grade: 2.5

Item: 00-47466

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Inspired by a painting of the same name, this engaging work by Todd Parrish features memorable rhythmic patterns of sixteenth notes, flat-key fingerings, and varied articulations. The original painting evokes the awesome, eternal nature of the sea that could occur on any given morning. Imagine crashing waves!

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Ante Meridian: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Series: Highland/Etling String Orchestra

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 124

ISBN10: 1-4706-5454-7

ISBN13: 978-1-4706-5454-2

UPC: 038081544762

SKU: 00-47466

More about this title

About the Composer: Todd Parrish

Todd Parrish brings twenty years of public school orchestra teaching experience across Illinois, Virginia, and Florida to his work as both educator and composer. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education from ORU in Tulsa, where he studied violin and piano, and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Arizona under Jindong Cai, with additional string quartet and violin study. His conducting training extends beyond the university classroom through workshops held in Colorado, South Carolina, Maine, and Aix-en-Provence, France.

Parrish's editorial and publishing career has been substantial. Since 2013 he has served as orchestra editor for J.W. Pepper and as string editor for Wingert-Jones Publications in Philadelphia. He became orchestra editor for Carl Fischer Music in 2018. His own compositions and arrangements have been published across three major houses: Alfred Music Publishing, Wingert-Jones Publications, and Carl Fischer Music, with over forty works in print. He lives in Orlando, Florida.

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Why we love this

Parrish crafts rhythmic vitality without sacrificing clarity at this level. The sixteenth-note patterns drive engagement for young players while the flat-key writing keeps fingerings manageable, and the varied articulations demand real musical thinking rather than rote execution. This is the kind of piece that makes an orchestra rehearsal feel purposeful.

What to expect

Ante Meridian captures that powerful, almost overwhelming moment when morning light hits restless water. The sixteenth-note figures shimmer and surge like waves breaking against rock, while the varied articulations shift between delicate spray and forceful crash. There's perpetual motion here, but it's the organic motion of nature, not mere technical display.

Who it's for

This score works well for Grade 2.5 orchestras ready to move beyond simple rhythmic patterns toward more sophisticated textural writing. Students who thrive on imagery and narrative will connect with the programmatic foundation, making rehearsal discussions about tone and phrasing feel purposeful rather than abstract.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the sixteenth-note figures as wave motion rather than mechanical repetition. Slight dynamic swells that build and recede will help students hear themselves as part of a larger pictorial idea.
Pay attention to the articulation markings as character indicators. They're not arbitrary; they reflect different moods of the sea and deserve rehearsal time equal to what you'd spend on intonation.
Balance the parts so that the memorable rhythmic patterns remain audible. In string orchestra at this level, inner voices often disappear, but here they carry the energy of the work.

How to use it

Program this as a concert opener to set an energetic, visual tone for your audience, or pair it with other nature-inspired works for a thematic concert. Its Grade 2.5 level and contest-ready polish make it suitable for festival competition, and the programmatic content gives young audiences an immediate point of entry into the music.

Skills your students will build

Reading and executing rapid sixteenth-note figures with rhythmic precision
Playing in flat keys with secure intonation across multiple flats
Responding to varied articulations (staccato, legato, accents) as musical shapers rather than technical markers
Balancing multiple rhythmic ideas occurring simultaneously
Connecting programmatic imagery to interpretive choices in dynamics and phrasing