Couchiching Suite ─ Conductor Score: Grade 4

Couchiching Suite was written as a commission from the National Music Camp of Canada, which runs each year on the shores of beautiful Lake Couchiching, north of Toronto, Canada. The goal in composing this piece was to give the top students at the camp a challenging and original piece to play. The first movement is a march in 5/4 that derives its pulse from the melodic shapes, rather than set groupings of beats. The middle movement is a slow homophonic song with rich harmonies and thick chordal textures requiring good listening and tuning skills. The third movement is a burner in mixed meters featuring solo alto saxophone and a soaring soli for the French horns. This is a great concert suite to showcase the achievements and abilities of a senior ensemble.