2026 – 1 Movement – Duration: 8 minutes
Description: A rambunctious and droll concert march.
Instrumentation: full orchestra
Good-Time Charlie’s Graduation March
Download score: Good-Time Charlie’s Graduation March (PDF)
Download audio: Good-Time Charlie’s Graduation March (MP3)
When I was a boy in Virginia, my dad loved the heat as much as I do now. I can still remember him, on a scorching day, sliding into the driver’s seat of our un-air-conditioned Chevy station wagon with a happy and satisfied “Ahhhh!”
On July 11th at 8:30pm, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will be performing part of an orchestral work of mine that was inspired by that car — and by the family road trips my parents, four sisters, and I would take in it. The free outdoor concert at Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria, Virginia, will feature works by American composers, including the third movement of The Blue Chevrolet, before ending with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and fireworks. For more information, visit alexsym.org.
I just finished scoring a documentary for the filmmaker Cara Biasucci of the University of Texas on the ethical dangers of artificial intelligence. As I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, the dangers are plenty. Setting this story to music was a sobering experience. It’s work I enjoy, but I had to wonder: How long before this kind of job is taken over by A.I.?
“It’s Flat,” wherein the ensemble encounters an obstacle, sung by Nova Payton as Dawn; Theodore Sapp as Terrance; Sandy Bainum as Rose; and Millicent Scarlett as Mary
“Hurt,” Dawn’s song after being injured in a melee, sung by Nova Payton as Dawn and Millicent Scarlett as Mary
“I Miss You Being Alive,” Rose’s song to her late husband, sung by Sandy Bainum
“Family,” an ensemble number, sung by Nova Payton as Dawn; Theodore Sapp as Terrance; Sandy Bainum as Rose; and Millicent Scarlett as Mary
Video medley from HB Studio Theatre staged reading, June 2022 featuring Shaakirah Nazim-Harris as Dawn, Nik Whitcomb as Terrance, Amy Gaither Hayes as Rose, and Q. Smith as Mary: Stream here or click the image below.
Shaakirah Nazim-Harris as Dawn and Nik Whitcomb as Terrance
Staged Reading: October 7 – 15, 2023
Dawn: Ashley LaLonde
Mary: Cicily Daniels
Terrance: Julius Thomas III
Rose: Lori Wilner
Lawrence: Cal Mitchell
Darryl: Michael D. Turner
Director: Janeece Freeman Clark
Music Director: Dionne McClain-Freeney
Location: The York Theatre Company, Musicals in Mufti
29-Hour Reading: June 27 and 28, 2022
Dawn: Shaakirah Nazim-Harris
Mary: Q. Smith
Terrance: Raphael Peacock
Rose: Amy Gaither Hayes
Lawrence: Bryce Valle
Darryl: Michael D. Turner
Terrance Understudy: Nik Whitcomb
Director: Pat Golden
Music Director: Mary Ann Ivan
Drums: Mark Katsounis
Stage Manager: Sarah Chiriboga
Casting: Sarah Chiriboga & Moshe Henderson
Producer: Ghost Light Ventures LLC
Casting: HB Casting
Publicity: Off Off PR
Location: HB Studio, New York, New York
Demo Recordings: Spring, 2021
Dawn: Awa Sal Secka
Mary: Millicent Scarlett
Terrance: Keenan McCarter
Rose: Sandy Bainum
Recorded at Cue Recording Studios, Falls Church, Virginia
Engineer: Ken Schubert
Piano: Charlie Barnett
Bass: Greg Watkins
Drums: Mark Carson
Guitar: Gerry Kunkel
Table Read: October 10, 2020
Dawn: Syndee Winters
Mary: Millicent Scarlett
Terence: Theodore Sapp
Rose: Sandy Bainum
Dramaturg: Cheyenne Barboza
Stage Manager: Miranda Campbell
Demo Recordings: August, 2020
Dawn: Nova Payton
Mary: Millicent Scarlett
Terrance: Theodore Sapp
Rose: Sandy Bainum
Recorded at Cue Recording Studios, Falls Church, Virginia
Engineer: Ken Schubert
Piano: Charlie Barnett
Bass: Greg Watkins
Drums: Mark Carson
Guitar: Gerry Kunkel
Table Read: July 24, 2020
Dawn: Safiya Harris
Mary: Q. Smith
Terence: Erick Pinnick
Rose: Allison Briner-Dardenne
All others: Kevin McAllister
Stage Manager: Miranda Campbell