New composition: “Remembering Bowie”

Troy conducted the world premiere of Remembering Bowie, his new work for SOLI Chamber Ensemble and YOSA, at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

In an interview with the San Antonio Current, Troy described the music’s inspiration:

Before David Bowie died in January, I already had plans to write something for SOLI Chamber Ensemble—an amazing San Antonio group made up of clarinet, violin, cello, and piano—to play with YOSA. After Bowie’s death, I started to think about composing a memorial piece. At first, I was writing a somber reflection on loss, but by late summer, it turned into more of a celebration. I ended up taking four familiar David Bowie songs and weaving them together into a piece that lets the four soloists play the role of “front man” or “lead guitarist,” with the orchestra backing them up. In classical music, there is a tradition of the “fantasy,” where a soloist plays elaborate, technically involved music over familiar tunes—this piece goes down that path.

KLRN’s Arts program previewed the concert in this segment on November 3.