Feature Article


Brian Balmage’s name is not as well known as Beethoven’s, but some day it might be, at least in the world of band music. And the great master Beethoven, not usually well known in the world of original band music, perhaps should have that assessment reevaluated as he composed what may be the greatest composition for large wind band from the entire classical-period, the “Siegessinfonie” for 36 wind and percussion instruments.


These two composers, Balmages and Beethoven, came together for the first time in May, 2007, during the Spring Concert of the Grissom High School Band of Huntsville, Alabama. Brian Balmages’ Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Band, (jointly commissioned by the Grissom Bands and soloist Lynn Klock), was premiered along with Ludwig van Beethoven’s


“Siegessinfonie”, a


virtuosic nine-minute work for large wind band, heard in its first modern performance for symphonic band. How did these two premieres – two hundred years apart — come about?


The year 2007 was the 40th anniversary of a very significant event in the life of Huntsville, Alabama — the Apollo I flash fire in 1967 that killed astronauts Roger Chaffee, Ed White and Gus Grissom during pre-launch testing in Houston. Huntsville is closely associated with the space industry, and Grissom band directors Bill Connell and Theo Vernon wanted to help the community commemorate this sober milestone.


They decided that


commissioning a work in honor of the fallen Apollo astronauts would be an appropriate and significant expression commemorating this date. As Connell and Vernon begin to develop their ideas on the project, the


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Grissom High School Band: Beethoven and Balmages: Two Premieres, Two Hundred Years Apart By Wayne Blackwell and Bill Connell


primary considerations became 1) who could write such a work and, 2) how would they pay for it. For advice, they contacted a long-time colleague and friend of the Grissom bands, Professor Lynn Klock of the University of Massachusetts. Professor Klock has been a guest clinician for the Grissom bands winter clinic for several years, and is well known for works he has commissioned from composers around the world. Klock suggested that a concerto, especially one for saxophone, might provide a composer the palate and forum in which the deep feelings of


this date could be expressed — from the initial horror and sadness of the tragedy to the eventual spirit of hope and gratitude to those who have contributed to the space program’s astonishing


commission project with their financial assistance and community support.


With these commitments in hand, the directors and Professor Klock needed to settle on the right composer for the commission. After considerable discussion and interviews, an offer was made to the outstanding young American composer, Brian Balmages. Balmages (b. 1975) is a very active composer, conductor, and performer. His compositions have been performed throughout the world, including the College Band Directors National Conference and the Midwest Clinic, and his commissions have included ensembles from elementary schools through professional organizations such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Balmages was enthusiastic over the project and especially the reasons behind the commission. He not only is an outstanding composer and teacher, but holds great interest in space exploration. While Balmages was not old enough to remember the Apollo I tragedy personally, he did recall the event clearly through film and historical data.


Bill Connell, Brian Balmages, Theo Vernon, and Lynn Klock


achievements. Professor Klock asked if he could be a part of the commission, providing a financial commitment as well as offering to premiere the work. The Grissom Band Parents Association also enthusiastically endorsed the


After accepting the project, the work began to take shape over the next several months. The form was


decided to be a multi-sectional, one- movement concerto for alto saxophone, perhaps descriptive in the manner of a Strauss tone poem.


At Klock’s suggestion, the work eventually August 2008


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