This is Zack's latest masterwork which took second place at the 2015 Humboldt Brass Chamber
Music Composition Contest. It is for brass octet composed of 3 Bb Trumpets, 2 Trombones
and a bass trombone, Horn in F (a euphonium sub part is also included), and Tuba. The 4 movement
piece has a running time of approximately 11 minutes. Here are the Program Notes:
Chelsea is a small town in southern Michigan that evokes the best of "Main Street USA" -- one
high school, one tavern, two stoplights, and a climate where everyone knows their neighbors.
This town is the inspiration for "Chelsea Suite". The first movement, "Clocktower" refers
to an iconic bell tower that overlooks the downtown and surrounding areas. "Jiffy Mix-Up"
is inspired by the most well-known product of Chelsea -- "Jiffy Mix", the muffin mix in the blue
and white boxes that is sold throughout the nation. The company's huge white grain elevators
(right next to the railroad tracks) are a source of pride in the community. Though it was
recently torn down, the Wolverine Bar was the only venue for late night entertainment in Chelsea
for more than fifty years. The tavern is memorialized in the third movement, "Last Call at
the Wolverine". The suite concludes with "The Rock", a mixed-meter work inspired by
a huge boulder that resides in the middle of the town and is spray-painted daily with messages
(sometimes while the previous message is still wet). If the local high school team wins its
Friday night football game, townies know that the rock will be doused in school colors (white, yellow,
and blue) by the next morning.
All of these elements come together to form the mosaic of small town living in the Midwest.
Listen to a recording of movement 1 - Clocktower.
Listen to a recording of movement - Jiffy Mix-Up.
Listen to a recording of movement 3 - Last Call at the Wolverine.
Listen to a recording of movement 4 - The Rock.
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