Suite of Three Cities: Trombone Ensemble

The suite travels through three distinct musical landscapes, each with its own color and movement. Chapman's orchestration for trombones alone creates warmth and surprising textural variety across the thirty-two pages.

High school and college trombone ensembles seeking substantial literature that's playable without extreme range demands. Directors programming chamber concerts, pep band features, or ensemble festivals will find this a flexible addition that works for mixed-skill groups.

• Balance the voices carefully in each movement. Trombone ensembles can blur easily if one player dominates; mark who has the melody and who supports.
• Work section by section before assembling the full suite. Each city likely has its own character and tempo, so establishing those landmarks first prevents rushing or dragging when pieces connect.
• Listen for intonation challenges in sustained harmonies. Set those passages and verify tuning without the melodic line before bringing everything together.

Program this as a complete work during a chamber concert or break it into individual movements for variety across multiple performances. The manageable length and reasonable technical demands make it ideal for April and May concerts when rehearsal time is constrained.

• Maintaining balance and blend across trombone sections
• Reading and interpreting multi-movement ensemble literature
• Sustaining tone quality in harmonic foundations
• Ensemble intonation adjustment in sustained passages