Gem City Fanfare: E-flat Alto Saxophone
Adapted from Centum Annorum
By Todd Stalter
Grade: 3.5
Item: 00-PC-0018881_AX1
$3.00
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Description
Gem City Fanfare by Todd Stalter is a bold concert opener featuring thick quartal harmonies in the winds accompanied by a variety of percussion timbres. Adapted from a longer work composed for the Quincy, IL High School Band called Centum Annorum, this striking and contemporary fanfare is the perfect way to start your concert. (1:45)
The PerformancePlus+ series is an innovative addition to the ever-expanding MakeMusic Cloud interactive library. These engaging selections are presented with educational resources designed to enrich the rehearsal process and create outstanding performances. Including:
The PerformancePlus+ series is an innovative addition to the ever-expanding MakeMusic Cloud interactive library. These engaging selections are presented with educational resources designed to enrich the rehearsal process and create outstanding performances. Including:
- Assignment, recording, and assessment tools within MakeMusic Cloud
- Piece-specific exercises focused on skills and techniques
- Educational tips and suggestions to support learning
Available in print and digital formats.
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Gem City Fanfare: E-flat Alto Saxophone comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Alfred Concert Band - PerformancePlus+
Publisher:
Alfred Music
SKU:
00-PC-0018881_AX1
More about this title
About the Composer: Todd Stalter
Todd Stalter spent 34 years as Director of Bands at Eureka High School in Eureka, Illinois, building one of the state's most respected band programs. His marching band earned 16 Class 1A state championships, his concert ensembles consistently received superior ratings at IHSA contests, and his groups performed at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Walt Disney World, as well as at the Cotton and Liberty Bowls.
Beyond his classroom leadership, Stalter has guest-conducted All-State Bands in Georgia and Delaware, served as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the Midwest, and presented on composition and music education at state and regional conferences. His compositions for band and string orchestra are performed nationally and appear on state festival lists across the United States. He holds degrees in music education and trumpet performance from Illinois State University and is an inductee of the Illinois State Marching Band Championships Hall of Fame.
Why we love this
Stalter has crafted an opener that sounds far more sophisticated than its grade level suggests. The quartal harmonies and percussion palette give Gem City Fanfare genuine contemporary edge, yet the piece remains accessible for mid-level bands and works beautifully as a concert statement or festival selection. The PerformancePlus+ resources built into MakeMusic Cloud transform what could be a straightforward fanfare into a teaching opportunity, with targeted exercises and assessment tools that help students understand the harmonic language they're playing.
What to expect
Striking and deliberate. The quartal sonorities create a modern harmonic landscape that feels purposeful rather than experimental, anchored by a confident rhythmic foundation and animated by a diverse percussion section. The result is a fanfare that commands attention and establishes a professional tone for whatever follows.
Who it's for
Concert bands at the 3.5 grade level ready to program something with genuine musical substance and contemporary styling. This is ideal for ensembles that have developed solid blend and can handle dissonant harmonies with understanding and control.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the thick quartal wind harmonies so they read as structured architecture rather than muddiness; this requires careful attention to blend across sections and thoughtful use of dynamics
- Treat the percussion colors as essential voices, not decoration. Each timbral choice contributes to the contemporary sound, so ensure your percussionists understand the overall harmonic context
- Establish a clear pulse from the opening measures and maintain it with absolute confidence. The piece's impact depends on crisp ensemble attack and unified rhythmic drive
How to use it
Open your concert with this piece to set a contemporary artistic standard and immediately establish ensemble quality. At just 1:45, it works equally well as a festival selection or as the opening statement of a full concert program, providing an effective contrast to more traditional or lyrical selections that might follow.
Skills your students will build
- Reading and balancing quartal harmonies in winds
- Ensemble blend across voices in non-traditional harmonic language
- Executing precise attacks and releases in rhythmically driven passages
- Understanding percussion color as a structural component of the arrangement
- Maintaining ensemble unity and pulse in contemporary concert music