Choreography: (wp) E-flat Contrabass Clarinet

Sheldon designed Choreography specifically for All-State performance, which means every measure reflects what works on the stage in front of an audience. The overture form gives you a clear structural arc (angular opening, lyrical center, return to energy), making this piece teach itself without requiring extensive rehearsal time to land the architecture. That combination of immediate impact and genuine musical substance makes it a rare opener that feels both confident and substantive.

Choreography opens with sharp, angular energy that suggests movement and intention, almost like watching a dancer lock into precise positions. The contrast deepens when those angular lines give way to long, singing phrases that let your best musicians breathe and express themselves. The combination creates a piece that feels both modern and theatrical, with enough rhythmic momentum to hold an audience's attention without ever becoming superficial.

This is ideal for bands at the Grade 3.5 level with secure fundamentals in rhythm and intonation. The piece works equally well for community and school ensembles seeking a concert opener that demonstrates musicianship without requiring exceptional technical facility. Directors programming All-State level festivals or looking for pieces with real compositional substance will find this delivers on both fronts.

• Shape the opening angular figures as if they are deliberate gestural statements rather than rhythmic filler; clarity and intentionality matter more than speed.
• Bring out the memorable melodic lines during the lyrical section by ensuring accompaniment voices stay supportive and don't crowd the foreground.
• Lock the meter and harmonic rhythm in your section leaders before ensemble rehearsals, since the "infectious beat patterns" depend on precise internal consensus about where the pulse lives.
• Use the recorded accompaniment or your own conducting clarity to establish the tempo relationship between the fast opening and the slower middle section so the transition feels inevitable, not arbitrary.

Program this as your opener when you want to establish energy and sophistication from the first note. Its theatrical origins make it particularly effective on concerts that pair classical and contemporary works, or as the gateway piece before moving into a more introspective program. The 5:33 duration and clear sectional architecture also make it valuable for festival performances where you need impact within a tight timeframe.

• Executing rhythmic precision in contemporary meters and syncopated patterns
• Balancing angular, articulated lines with sustained, legato phrasing
• Responding to gestural conducting in both fast and slow tempi
• Supporting melodic lines through subsidiary harmonic and rhythmic parts
• Understanding overture form and musical architecture
• Recognizing and maintaining meter changes and tempo relationships