Racing the Horizon: Concert Band Conductor Score

Marlatt writes with a clear understanding of what keeps developing musicians engaged. The distribution of melody across multiple sections means every player has moments to shine, while the contrast between fanfare writing and sustained legato passages gives your ensemble real interpretive choices to make.

Racing the Horizon captures forward momentum and brightness. The fanfare sections have a ceremonial quality that lifts the ensemble's energy, while the legato passages provide breathing room and allow the music to settle before the next surge forward.

This work suits developing concert bands ready for contest or festival performance. The piece rewards thoughtful preparation without demanding virtuosity, making it ideal for groups looking to build confidence in front of adjudicators.

• Shape the bold fanfares with crisp articulation in the brass section; resist the temptation to let them blur together. The energy comes from clarity, not volume.
• Balance the legato sections carefully. It's easy for young ensembles to pull the tempo back during sustained writing; set a steady pulse and hold it.
• Since melody moves around the band, cue section entrances generously during early rehearsals. Once voices are secure, you can pull back and let the lines find each other naturally.

Place this on a contest program where you want to open with something energetic and engaging, or use it mid-program to shift the mood after a slower piece. The contrasting sections also make it work well as the centerpiece of a thematic program exploring different compositional approaches.

• Articulation control in fanfare figures
• Sustaining legato lines with consistent tone quality
• Balancing individual section entrances within ensemble texture
• Following melodic interest across multiple voices
• Responding to clear conductor cues during stylistic transitions