New "Festival Music" Recording [Video]

Check out this great new recording of Festival Music, performed by members of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Mark Scatterday.

"Elegy for the End of Nature" 🌎 Want to be a Project Partner?

During the past few months, I've been busily composing a 3-movement work for string orchestra and percussion on the topic of climate change, titled Elegy for the End of Nature.

I'm currently looking for Project Partners who are interested in co-premiering the piece. There is no commission fee - just the commitment to purchase the sheet music (at a discount) and perform the work. The music is grade 4, and several youth orchestras, colleges, and community orchestras have already signed on to the project.

I drew some inspiration from Vivaldi's concept for The Four Seasons, namely the idea of including a poem to accompany each part of the work. The poems included in Elegy for the End of Nature reflect on a particular aspect of climate change and continue the story told in Vivaldi's poem for Summer from The Four Seasons. If you are interested in reading more about the project and the music, click here.

A portion of all sales from Elegy for the End of Nature will be donated to advance climate technologies and policies. It's one small way that you and I can both do something to address this ever-growing crisis.

Guest on the "Everything Band" Podcast

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Connor and being interviewed for the “Everything Band” podcast. In the episode, we talk about my musical upbringing, important teachers I have had along the way, and how some of my compositions have come to be.

Listen here.

International Music Program (IML) Seminar, 2/20/21

On Saturday February 20th at 11am eastern time, I’ll be presenting on my composition “Into the Silent Land” for the IML virtual seminar series. View a video about the series here.

To attend, simply email filipposalemmi@gmail.com to register.

International Music Program (IML) is a consortium of American & Italian Colleges/Universities and Conservatories of Music created to provide wind Ensemble and chamber music performance/pedagogy, Master Class and Seminary of Study; conducting symposia, activities and Concert Tours in Europe and in USA.

"Canon Fanfare" Now Available for Flex Instrumentation, Wind Band, Symphony Orchestra, or String Orchestra

At the end of December, I had an idea: what if the first piece I published in 2021 was a fanfare, a celebration of what will surely be a hopeful year for many? After everything we experienced in 2020, it would be a positive, hopeful piece to begin the New Year.

Out of this idea, “Canon Fanfare” was born. It’s just 2 minutes long, and after a brief opening section, a canon begins that builds to the climax of the work. I have created 4 versions of the piece: 8-part flexible instrumentation (plus optional percussion). wind band, symphony orchestra, and string orchestra. Listen, see inside the score and order here.

New: Three Spirituals for 8-part Flexible Instrumentation

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about what I should write for another collection of flex music. I was flipping through a binder of music that I have played with my wife Ashley and came across a transcription of an African American Spiritual. I realized in that moment that I would like to spend some time with this music and reflect. And I thought to myself, I think others will want to spend time with this music as well.

And so I went searching for Spirituals that I thought would work well for flexible instrumentation, and started (and it turns out, ended) my search with arrangements by Harry T. Burleigh, a composer and vocalist who, among many other things, created stirring arrangements of African American Spirituals in the early 20th century.

I chose three Spirituals - Down by the Riverside, Deep River, and I Want to be Ready, and I’m pleased to offer this new collection: Three Spirituals, a collection of arrangements  scored for 8-part flexible instrumentation. These spirituals are adaptations of arrangements by Harry T. Burleigh, whose early 20th-century settings of African American Spirituals are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago. 

Read more, listen, and see inside the score >>

The Inspiration Behind "Three Tallis Melodies"

Since I first discovered renaissance choral music in college, I've been entranced with the beauty of this music. It is timeless and just as moving today as it must have been centuries ago. In 2019, I sang in a chamber choir (I'm really a saxophonist, but they still let me sing!) and one of the pieces we sang was the hymn "Third Mode Melody" by Thomas Tallis. The music captivated me. It lingered in my mind for weeks. Shortly thereafter, I had decided to write a piece for my college wind ensemble director, Gary Green, based on a photograph he took of a church in Savannah, Georgia. The mysterious and beautiful photograph and the music from "Third Mode Melody" seemed to fit well, so the piece came together quickly as Entrata. 

After studying "Third Mode Melody" and weaving that music into my piece Entrata, I took time to explore other Tallis works. I had heard and sung the Tallis canon before, and also came across his stunning work 'If Ye Love Me." Fast forwarding a bit to spring 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, composers and conductors began to think about creating music that could be adaptable to a wide range of instrumentations and ensemble sizes for fall 2020 (and potentially beyond). At the writing of these notes (July 2020) we still don't know how many musicians will be able to make music together, and how each school will organize classes. As I thought about creating music that could be flexible, I quickly thought of these Tallis works. I believe they are works of remarkable depth and beauty, while at the same time relatively simple. I think there is a lot to learn and enjoy from playing and studying this music, and so I decided these tunes might be helpful in a flexible setting. 

As I was arranging this music, I pictured student groups of various sizes and instrumentations - 7 wind players, or 12 strings, or 23 players including strings, winds and percussion - all finding some solace and beauty in the music of Thomas Tallis. I pictured them being filled by the richness of this music, being touched by the depth of this centuries-old art. This thought inspired me to create this music, and I hope that teachers and students find it meaningful and rewarding.