The Celebration! A Symphonic Jubilee
for orchestra
by Linda Robbins Coleman
copyright © 2000, 2022
The Celebration! (A Symphonic Jubilee) is a suite in five movements, each with a different style and personality although there are common structural, rhythmic, and harmonic threads throughout. The commission required that the piece was to be “peppy, tonal, and tuneful,” and it achieves that goal. Each movement also highlights different instruments of the orchestra, from the piccolo through to the percussion. Overall it was intended to reflect a special occasion, both in the titles and in the music itself. It becomes a celebration of music, life, friends, love, joy, and the glory of that most marvelous musical instrument of all, the orchestra.
It opens with “The Invitation” to celebrate being invited and the giddiness at the beginning of any party. Next comes “Valse Mémoire,” a pause for remembrance when absent friends are recalled and past times are honored. And, of course, every celebration has to have “The Life of the Party!,” probably resulting in a lampshade on somebody's head! No party is complete without “Audrey and Cary,” evoking both mystery and glamour. And, of course, everyone comes together at the end to join in the celebration by offering their own “Jubilation” to the occasion, and a toast to the future.
The Celebration! was commissioned by the St. Cloud Symphony in Minnesota, and was premiered on April 16, 2000 as part of their 25th anniversary celebration under the musical direction of Lawrence Eckerling, conductor. The piece has enjoyed numerous performances throughout the USA since its premiere, including in New Jersey, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Arizona, and Ohio.
In 2001 Orchestra Iowa featured The Celebration! as the finale for their 80th Anniversary Celebration, “American Extravaganza” concert.
“The Life of the Party!” has also gone on to have a life of its own and has been performed as a standalone piece. Not only that, it has enjoyed numerous performances with additional arrangements for euphonium, saxophone, and string quartets, piano duet, and soon-to-be-released brass and woodwind ensemble editions.
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