Physical copy of the sheet music mailed to you.

Composer: Marcus Norris

Year: 2024

Instrumentation: 2222 Winds, 2 Alto Saxophones, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, 4321 Brass, Piano, 2 Percussionists, Timpani, Strings. Percussion List: Timpani, Glockenspiel, Snare, Toms, Suspended Cymbal with Soft Mallets, Closed Hi Hat

Duration: 8 minutes

About the Work: 

“For All That Comes Next” was one of my most fun and rewarding commissions. Catherine Birke tasked me to write something in the style of South Side Symphony suitable for the young musicians of Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program. The students were so inspiring and the piece wouldn’t have been the same without them.

When I started South Side Symphony it was partially out of necessity. I wanted to showcase the Black American music genres I grew up on in an orchestral way, but there weren’t spaces or opportunities to do so. Now, to be able to do that with this amazing group of young musicians, at Juilliard, one of the preeminent musical institutions in the world, was a full circle moment.

It also gives me hope for the future that these young musicians are being exposed to these Black American musical traditions at such a young age. This piece is a hopeful celebration of the future that I believe these young musicians will go on to create. As result, “For All That Comes Next” is by far one of my most optimistic pieces.

The work is based on one or two main ideas. Structurally, a section or group performs a musical idea and then they “pass it off” to the next group, so on and so forth. The concept is built on this exchange and musical dialogue. Additionally, I included substantial space for improvised, which is almost foundational in Black American music but rare in orchestral classical music. Performers are afforded the opportunity to bring their “whole self” to the performance.