Ben has arranged several well-known Christmas songs for performance by unison choir and concert band, to be sung along with audiences. Songs include Joy to the World, Silent Night, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and other beloved Christmas tunes. You can request parts and scores below. Check It Out: […]
Jul, jul, strålande jul was premiered on December 16, 2019 by the combined Fillmore Central High School Concert Choir and Concert Band. The original lyrics were written by Edvard Evers and music composed by Gustaf Nordqvist. The school I teach at hosts foreign exchange students regularly, which is an awesome […]
Veni, Veni Emmanuel was premiered on December 17, 2015 by the combined Fillmore Central High School Concert Choir and Concert Band. My favorite way to spice up an arrangement of a song is to warp the time signature. As I started my arrangement of the well-known Christmas carol O Come, […]
Suite No. 1 in G major – Prelude was premiered on April 19, 2015 by Ben Kaye-Skinner. While waiting for a wedding to begin in the summer of 2013, I listened to Jessica Dussault playing her cello. She is a marvelous player, and we had worked together on projects with The Colonel […]
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Mvt. 4 was premiered by the Fillmore Central High School Concert Band and Concert Choir on December 19, 2013. At the time this was easily the largest project I had undertaken. With some reference scores on hand, I went about trying to decide which parts of […]
The House on the Hill was premiered on December 13, 2012 by the combined Fillmore Central High School Concert Choir and Concert Band. When I set out to compose my second combined band and choir piece, I went to one of my favorite carols, In Dulci Jubilo. A couple years […]
Fantasia on Christmas Carols was premiered on December 6th and 7th, 2008 by the combined festival choirs and bands of Doane College. Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote Fantasia on Christmas Carols for baritone solo, chorus, and orchestra in 1912. I was commissioned by Doane College nearly a hundred years later to […]
Pomp and Circumstance was premiered on May 12, 2012 by the Fillmore Central High School Concert Band. This arrangement was designed to be as simple and still sound good, easily adapted to be played as long as is necessary and with minimal rehearsal time. Sir Edward Elgar wrote his Pomp […]
Eine kleine Nachtmusik (K 525) was premiered on April 15, 2011 by Sam Rickert and Andrew Votipka. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525 for a chamber ensemble in 1787. I wrote this for a pair of students that wanted […]
Solo For Narcissist and Mirror was premiered with the wonderful Nancy Jo Galusha at the piano on February 27, 2011. It was edited and performed again in 2015, featuring Maggie Doane (also wonderful) on piano. The inspiration for this song comes from the everyday life of a band director: we […]
O Laetissimum Nuntium was premiered on December 16, 2010 by the combined Fillmore Central High School Concert Choir and Concert Band. As I was digging through my files looking for Christmas music, I stumbled across an old arrangement of “Joy to the World” for combined band and chorus. I looked […]
We Five Kings was premiered on December 17, 2009 by the Fillmore Central High School Concert Band. I first got the idea for We Five Kings while driving down the interstate when I was in high school. Why I remember that, I have no idea, but I had my dad […]
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Discomfort was premiered on July 18, 2009, much to the chagrin of the brass quintet that performed it. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Discomfort was written October 25th, 2007. The piece was inspired by Derek Bourgeois’ Serenade, which he wrote for his own wedding. States his score: Derek […]
Amazing Grace was premiered on December 5, 2008. In the fall of 2008 I went with my mom to visit a member of our church whose health was failing. While we were visiting with him and his wife, he expressed his desire to have me play the tuba at his […]
Für Elisa McGlynn was premiered on April 7, 2006, much to the dismay of my college professors. Für Elisa McGlynn is an arrangement of Beethoven’s Für Elise. I use “arrangement” only in the most technical sense – all I did was change the key from A minor to A major […]
Trio Sonata, Op. 3, No 2: Third Movement was premiered on February 21st, 2006 by Dave Purdham, Brandon Stange, and myself. I first came to know Arcangelo Corelli’s Trio Sonatas in my college music history class, through the Norton texts. That first semester of music history was tough for me […]
Variations of Grace was premiered on October 16, 2006 by the Doane College Symponic Wind Ensemble. It was the first time a concert piece of mine was performed for an audience. Variations of Grace was my first concert band composition that I ever got to hear played by a real […]