Rise: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Holmquist captures that magical moment when a beginning band suddenly gels and sounds like an ensemble rather than individuals. The piece rewards solid fundamentals without demanding technical heroics, so directors can focus on musicianship, phrasing, and the ensemble experience itself. It's the kind of concert opener that leaves an audience genuinely moved by what young musicians can accomplish.

Rise embodies forward motion and possibility. The music builds in layers, with ascending figures that genuinely lift, creating an uplifting experience that feels earned rather than artificial. Performers feel the satisfaction of collaborating toward something larger than their individual parts.

This work suits beginning concert bands ready to tackle something beyond folk tune arrangements. It's ideal for Grade 1.5 players who have developed basic technique and ensemble listening skills and are hungry to perform something written specifically for band.

• Shape each ascending melody with intention. Rather than playing it as a mechanical climb, encourage players to think of the line as reaching toward something, creating natural crescendos that feel organic rather than forced.
• Balance the dynamic changes carefully. The contrast between sections is what makes the rise effective, so give each dynamic level its own space and don't let climaxes blur into one sustained loudness.
• Lock the rhythmic intensity gradually. As the piece builds, the rhythm section needs to feel propulsive without rushing. Mark those tempo reference points in rehearsal so transitions feel inevitable, not jerky.

Open a concert with this piece to immediately establish energy and give your audience a sense of what your band can do. It pairs well on a program with contrasting slower works, or use it as the opener for a festival performance where you want to make a strong first impression.

• Phrasing ascending melodic lines across phrase boundaries
• Controlling dynamic shapes that build gradually
• Ensemble balance when multiple voices carry the melody
• Rhythmic precision during accelerating intensity
• Breath management in sustained passages leading into climaxes