Galactic Voyage
by KEVIN DAY

Grade 5 | 4:40 | © 2018

Galactic Voyage (2018) is a concert band work that takes the listener on an interstellar trip across the cosmos. The work portrays different aspects of what someone may see in space, such as shooting stars, comets, planets, and gives the listener a sense of the vast sphere of what we already know and the unknown that has yet to be discovered. There are “wormholes” that represent each new section of the piece and portrays different worlds or places that the voyager would encounter, which I will leave up to the imagination of the listener. Every section of the band gets their moment to shine in this piece and presents a fun challenge for young musicians.

The piece is commissioned by Jonathan Schiffler, Director of Bands at Dominion High School, for the students of the Dominion High School Wind Symphony. I want to thank Jonathan Schiffler for the commission opportunity and to my friend and fellow composer, Omar Thomas, for recommending me to him.

I had a lot of fun writing this piece and felt like a kid again. I was and am a sci-fi geek and so the piece is influenced by Star Trek, Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Doctor Who, and other sci-fi shows and movies I have enjoyed over the years. The only hard part about this whole process was coming up with a title. Unlike the vast and infinite abyss of outer space, there is not a vast selection of space-themed concert band titles that have not been already taken. However, I think I found one that works well for this space band piece. I hope that bands and audiences will enjoy, Galactic Voyage for concert band.

Recorded on March 6th, 2020 by CSU Fullerton Symphonic Winds and Dr. Dustin Barr.