Vertigo: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Bernotas knows exactly what keeps a band's energy alive during a concert. This opener checks every box: rhythmic intensity that students feel in their bones, a breather section that's genuinely musical rather than just a tempo drop, and a finish that reminds audiences why you programmed it. Every section has something to play, which means your less experienced students feel the adrenaline too.

Vertigo pulls you into motion from the first measure. The aggressive rhythmic drive spirals upward with relentless energy, then suddenly the room goes still. That brief calm section catches your breath before the music spins toward its conclusion with even greater force. It's the sonic equivalent of the ride itself: disorienting, thrilling, and over before you're ready.

Concert bands at the 3.5 grade level looking for repertoire that energizes students without sacrificing musicianship. Directors need a piece that opens or closes a concert with impact while teaching focus and rhythmic precision across the full ensemble.

• Keep the spiraling melodies locked together by having your principal players rehearse the main themes as a unit before sectionals. The momentum depends on rhythmic precision across the voicings.
• The contrasting section will land harder if you actually pull back the tempo. Resist the urge to rush; let the ensemble hear the silence between phrases.
• Assign one player per part during the first reading. This piece moves quickly, and doubling creates mud rather than power. Once everyone owns their line, you can build the sound.
• Record a run-through during rehearsal and play it back. Hearing themselves approach the final whirl gives students a realistic goal for energy and control.

Open your concert with this piece to set the tone immediately. The three-and-a-half-minute length works equally well as a closer if you want to send the audience out on an adrenaline rush. It pairs nicely with more lyrical repertoire, giving your program dynamic shape and keeping students engaged across rehearsals.

• Sustaining rhythmic precision during fast, aggressive passages
• Balancing individual melodic lines within complex voicings
• Transitioning between contrasting tempos and dynamics without losing ensemble cohesion
• Reading and executing spiraling melodic figures across multiple instrumental families
• Building and releasing energy across a complete musical arc