Star Ship: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
By Yukiko Nishimura
Grade: 2.5
Item: 35-PK01469852
$80.00
Pickup currently not available
Buy Extra Parts (Digital PDF Download)
| Product | Price | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Star Ship - Full Score | $13.00 | |
| Star Ship - Piccolo | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Flute 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Flute 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Oboe | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Clarinet 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Clarinet 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Clarinet 3 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Alto Clarinet | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Bass Clarinet | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Bassoon | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Alto Sax 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Alto Sax 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Tenor Sax | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Bari Sax | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trumpet 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trumpet 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trumpet 3 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Horn 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Horn 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Horn 3 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Horn 4 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trombone 1 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trombone 2 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Trombone 3 | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Euphonium TC | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Euphonium BC | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Tuba | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - String Bass | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Timpani | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Percussion | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Bells | $2.50 | |
| Star Ship - Harp | $2.50 |
Parts Added to Cart!
Description
Of this work, composer Yukiko Nishimura writes, "In Japan there is an old tale which has been told since before time began. Two of the most beautiful stars in the night sky are Altair, representing Man and Vega, representing Woman. These two lovers can meet each other only one time each year, on the night of July 7th. Living on opposite sides of the Milky Way, they have to ride a ship to meet each other on that night. If it rains, they cannot see each other because the river of light in the sky is swollen. The name of the star ship that Altair and Vega ride is called 'Hoshi no Fune'. I wanted to express in music the pain of these separated lovers."
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Additional Details
Publisher:
Hal Leonard
SKU:
35-PK01469852
More about this title
About the Composer: Yukiko Nishimura
Yukiko Nishimura is a Japanese composer and pianist who studied at Tokyo University of Arts before relocating to the United States for advanced composition study with Alfred Reed at the University of Miami and Richard Danielpour at Manhattan School of Music. Her career spans multiple disciplines: she has received commissions across piano, chamber music, band, orchestral, and theatrical works, with recognition including special mentions at the International Competition for Original Composition for Band in Italy and nominations for the Hollywood Music in Media Award.
Beyond composition, Nishimura maintains an active performing career as a pianist and arranger. Her work has been heard at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall and the New York Public Library, and she has collaborated with traditional Japanese theater forms, bridging contemporary composition with classical artistic traditions. Since 1996, she has regularly presented concerts in Japan featuring exclusively her own music.
Why we love this
Nishimura crafts a narrative score that lets the emotional core of a beloved Japanese legend shine through accessible writing. The Grade 2.5 level never feels simplified; instead, it focuses the band's expressive energy on the yearning at the heart of the story, making this a thoughtful programming choice that teaches students how restraint and clarity can deepen musical communication.
What to expect
The music captures the bittersweet beauty of a love constrained by cosmic distance. Moments of luminous orchestration evoke the stars themselves, while the harmonic language conveys both the hope of reunion and the ache of separation across the Milky Way.
Who it's for
Bands at the Grade 2.5 level seeking a concert piece with genuine emotional substance and a cultural story worth sharing with audiences. Directors who want to move beyond generic selections and introduce students to a composer working at the intersection of Western concert music and Japanese artistic traditions.
How to get the most out of it
- Shape the melodic material to emphasize the separation and longing in the story; a slight lean into the phrase peaks will highlight the emotional arc without overstating it.
- Balance transparent scoring across the ensemble so that principal voices can carry the narrative without drowning out supporting textures that add harmonic and timbral depth.
- Allow yourself freedom with the tempo in climactic moments; the legend's emotional stakes deserve a conductor's sensitivity to pacing rather than metronomic rigidity.
- Research the Tanabata festival and the visual imagery of the Milky Way before rehearsals begin; players who understand the story invest differently in their parts.
How to use it
Pair this with other international selections to create a concert exploring how different cultures express love and loss through music, or program it as a centerpiece of a spring concert where its emotional maturity provides contrast to lighter works. The manageable technical demands make it ideal for mid-year programming when you want to deepen musicianship without adding rehearsal burden.
Skills your students will build
- Sustaining lyrical phrases across changing harmonic backgrounds
- Balancing transparent textures to highlight thematic material
- Responding to conductor direction for expressive pacing and rubato
- Connecting musical content to extramusical narrative and cultural context