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Going from Earth to the Moon with Concert Band

So I mentioned that I Schaumburg High School (my alma mater) commissioned me to write a new piece for band for the students.

During the writing process I was really attracted to the idea of writing a piece in two parts:

  1. From Earth to the Moon – A movement all about the excitement and the adventure of space exploration. This was supposed to feel heroic and cinematic.
  2. Prayer for Earth – This next section arrives with a bang and then all of a sudden all of gravity is gone. The listener is floating in space, looking back on our planet, a world that has accomplished so much but still has a lot of work to do.

The piece would be titled “Moonshot” because that’s what it was to get to space in the 1960’s, and that’s what it feels like it is for us back here on Earth.

As I wrote this piece, my former band director Greg Tipps, who now conducts the Harper College Wind Symphony asked if they could have the second performance. Mr. Tipps then told me about how one of his first students in the SHS band (a clarinet player), Catherine Koerner works for NASA. Not only does Catherine work at NASA, she’s the Deputy Associate Administrator, ESDMD, NASA HQ. She’s literally responsible for the program that is sending astronauts to the Moon and then Mars.

So I decided to take my own “moonshot” and I wrote her a letter and clicked send on LinkedIn. In my letter I told her that I was writing a piece about hope and (in my own hopes) acknowledging the importance of arts and all education. She loved the idea, she wrote a lovely program note, a letter to the students, and then offered to come out with me to meet the band.

Read the article covering our working with the band by Eileen Daday

So in February it all came together and we met for the first time and got to hear “Moonshot” by the Schaumburg High School band for the first time all together; our former band director Greg Tipps, Catherine, and myself all in attendance.

(Photos by Patrick DeGeorge, Public Relations Specialist, Township High School District 211)

And now it’s time for the premiere of “Moonshot” by SHS on Thursday, March 16, 2023. I’m extremely grateful to the band directors Vinnie & Anthony for being as excited about this project and as nerdy about space as I am.

Tim Corpus is a composer with a genuine lyric impulse. He writes music that is at the same time challenging and appealing - which should be the ideal of any composer. He has a wonderful ear for sound and for shape. This is a composer with a real and important voice.

Henry Fogel Retired Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and CEO/President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

...`{`Three Pieces for Five Timpani`}` is an outstanding addition to the literature for timpani and great for advanced recital programs.

George Frock Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas

Tim Corpus is a wonderfully skilled composer who has important things to say with his music. His debut album, Breath, is extremely impressive. Beautiful and exciting music to be sure!

Larry Alan Smith Composer

Tim Corpus' music is complex, original and steeped in tradition. His Three Pieces for Five Timpani is clearly an extension of the composers, such as Elliott Carter, that came before him. The pieces are challenging but fulfilling to learn and perform. Possibly the most important thing about Tim's timpani writing is that audiences will enjoy listening to his compositions. He is taking solo timpani writing to the next level.

Ed Harrison Timpanist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago

The melodic gestures in Tim Corpus' masterful piece for strings, ``Breath``, are paced so that a listener’s respiration pattern aligns itself instinctively with the slow and even pulse of the piece. Breath creates a powerful performer/listener symbiosis, a remarkable accomplishment on the part of the composer.

Steven Gryc Composer

Tim Corpus’s music is beautifully lyrical, nicely voiced and technically well-realized. In person, he is a pleasure to work with. We very much enjoyed recording his first two string quartets and hope to see more from him in the future.

Jen Leckie Violinist, Grant Street String Quartet

I recently had the pleasure of conducting the premiere of First Flight. It is artfully written, fresh, unique, and best of all – a beautiful piece of music! Tim is a major talent with big things in store for his future. It clearly deserves a permanent place in the repertoire of any serious wind ensemble. I can't wait to program it again!

Stephen Squires Conductor, Chicago College of Performing Arts Wind Ensemble

I have worked with Tim Corpus as a performer, composer and teacher. He brings passion and energy to his craft. He is a young lion who is making his mark on the Chicago music scene.

Kevin Miller Retired Band Director, Schaumburg High School

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tim for years now, and I learned very quickly that his passion and talent as a performer and composer are unquestioned. Everything he does is handled with a rare combination of intensity and care, and his works display such attributes. His lyricism in particular, along with his rich, beautiful harmonies and intricate polyphony set him apart from many of his colleagues. In a world littered with simple, non-intellectual music, Tim is breaking through and creating a new, exciting, accessible, and, most importantly, intelligent style of music that is imperative to the future of our art form.

Matt Bronstein Axiom Brass Quintet

Breath is very professionally produced, and the overall impression is of a lyrical and rhapsodic voice. I think Breath is a great starter, very ample and serene, even ecstatic. The second quartet is lively and engaging throughout.

Dr. Robert Carl Composer
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