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About this Piece

Mavericks (2015), a concerto for orchestra, was commissioned by the American Youth Symphony in celebration of its 50 Year Anniversary Season.  The title refers to both the musical mavericks in this fantastic orchestra, as well as the legendary Mavericks surf break off the shore of Half Moon Bay in Northern California.  Every winter, the infamous Mavericks waves build to reach towering heights as much as sixty feet, smashing into rocks below the ocean’s surface, with an impact that can be measured on the Richter scale. Here, the ocean becomes a perilous playground to the most fearless and talented big wave surfing mavericks in the world.  In my composition, the percussion mavericks, playing drumset, bongos and timbales, provide a groovy yet ominous forward momentum. Churning string melodies crash amongst the looming dark force of low brass pedal notes, while woodwind riffs spray fearlessly in the face of danger.