Percy Grainger’s Molly on the Shore is known for its rhythmic intensity and subtle use of original themes. The many chromatic lines, Grainger’s signature, and the high level of variation in the instrumentation give the piece an unprecedented amount of energy. Irish Tune from County Derry was written in 1909 and dedicated to the memory of Edward Grieg, with rich sonorities that have made the piece a favorite for decades. Finally, Grainger’s arrangement of Bach’s O Mensch Bewein Dein Sünde Gross is a four-part transcription of a beautiful chorale prelude.

Ryan George found inspiration for Firefly from the way children use their imaginations to transform the ordinary and normal into the extraordinary and fantastic. In this fashion, Firefly sparks fantasies within the mind and then ushers them into unseen worlds.

Ron Nelson composed Rocky Point Holiday for the University of Minnesota Concert Band, creating an exciting virtuoso work that unites elements of jazz and classical construction into a new American style. Rocky Point is a wind-blown seaside resort on the coast of Rhode Island.

Edward Green’s Overture in Eb was inspired by the ideas of poet Eli Siegel, who found beauty in the synopsis of opposites. It begins quietly, with a long arched melody, and grows to reach climaxes of great power.

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed Toccata Marziale for the commemoration of the British Empire Exhibition of 1924. Although complex in rhythm and harmonic content, the piece exploits the fundamental properties of the band’s sonority, virtuosity and color.