Noir (2023)

for tenor saxophone, electric guitar, and orchestra

Duration: 9′

Tenor Saxophone with improvisation and Electric Guitar with improvisation

Orchestra Instrumentation:

1 Piccolo – 1 Flute – 1 Oboe – 2 Clarinets in Bb – 1 Bassoon – 2 Horns in F – 2 Trumpets in Bb – 1 Trombone – 1 Percussion (Tubular Bells, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle) – *Piano – Drum Set (optional and with improvisation) – Full Strings

*Piano part is completely written out with chord symbols included for any pianist who would like to ad lib and improvise.

Click HERE to view the PDF of the score.

Noir (2023) for tenor saxophone, electric guitar, and orchestra was commissioned by the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Chaowen Ting for premiere on September 26, 2023. Andrea Pérez Muksi conducted the premiere, which featured jazz saxophonist Daniel Juárez and electric guitarist Nat Condit-Schultz.

The tenor sax melody at the beginning is from my art song composition, Nightingale (2011). In 2013, I decided to create an instrumental jazz version, which I titled Noir referencing the dark and mysterious atmosphere throughout. The chamber jazz version was premiered at the 2013 Rochester Fringe Festival, and the 2014 big band version was the winner of the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra Contest and performed at the Ear Shot Festival featuring alto saxophonist Grace Kelly.

For this new version, the piece has been extended to feature both the sax and electric guitar, along with giving the orchestra a more prominent role in various sections. Furthermore, I grew up listening to a lot of progressive rock, and wanted to incorporate more of that stylistic influence into this new composition.