Trumpet Concerto
Work Overview
Eb trumpet/flugelhorn and chamber orchestra or piano reduction
Chamber orchestra Instrumentation: Solo Eb trumpet/flugelhorn, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Bb Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns in F, Timpani, Percussion (2 players): Marimba, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Harp, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabass
Chamber instrumentation: Eb trumpet/flugelhorn and piano
Duration: 15 minutes
Premiere: Mary Elizabeth Bowden with Erie Philharmonic, March 7, 2020 at Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania
Commissioned by:
Anchorage Symphony
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
Erie Philharmonic
Philharmonia Northwest (Seattle)
San Diego State University
San José Chamber Orchestra
Santa Fe Symphony
Shenandoah Conservatory
Waynesboro SymphonyWritten for trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden
Program Note
Vivian Fung’s Trumpet Concerto is not just a world premiere, it’s very likely the first concerto written by a North American female composer for a female trumpet soloist.
– John Chacona for the Erie Times-News
Trumpet Concerto is a virtuosic, tour de force work displaying the capabilities of the Eb Trumpet and Flugelhorn, stretching the imagination to what is possible for the instruments. Written for trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, the concerto originally was inspired by a conversation about Mary’s journey in her solo career in general, and as a woman in a male-dominated field. Ideas of striving, overcoming challenges, frustration, passion, and ultimately joy and celebration are all explored in this piece. Rather than composing the work in movements, I have chosen to organize the piece as a continuous work with various episodes, including a toe-tapping march, a lamentful and stormy chant, a more contemplative section for flugelhorn leading to a hip-hop inspired dance. The materials ultimately culminate in a chaotic frenzy that recaps many of the materials and builds to a triumphant ending on the Eb trumpet.
Purchase or Rent This Work
Piano reduction and study scores are available for purchase; parts available for rental. Please contact Bill Holab Music for a rental quote.
Errata List
Artists are welcome to contribute any errors or notes for this work on our collaborative errata list.
![CANCELLED Santa Fe Symphony performs Trumpet Concerto [Cancelled]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dc042497e7a9231b5354c48/1599236925563-GEW39NX2VFJ8I2A22L8G/mary-elizabeth-bowden2.jpg)
![Review: Trumpet Concerto with Santa Fe Symphony “stretch[es] the imagination as to what is possible”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5dc042497e7a9231b5354c48/1642865142751-E6DLQ3OK68DEYDZHQ37W/61e9ba9f53056.image.jpg)
