Journey by the North Star (full score - cover & front matter)

Journey by the North Star
for side-by-side, multilevel string orchestras
ABOUT THE WORK
Journey by the North Star is a thoughtfully crafted multilevel piece that is musically rich and pedagogically
sound. Built as a rondo (ABACADA), the primary North Star theme (adjacent to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little
Star") leads the ship across the sea. In contrasting sections, more advanced students introduce new musical
ideas—the ship sailing, stormy seas, and a sea monster. These ideas are blended with each restatement of the
North Star theme.
I specifically designed the North Star theme with the youngest players in mind and made it crucial to the
work, not a simplification of another idea. This theme is the guiding light which brings the ship to safe
harbor. The theme is mostly the same, with modest changes in the repetition, and can be supported by
intermediate or advanced players.
On a personal note, this commission was particularly special because the music programs in Pickerington
Schools fostered my interest and talent as a young musician. Today, I teach in my private music studio in the
same community and compose music that is performed all over the world. I learned to play the violin under
Linda Stieg’s direction in her orchestra. I was in the freshman class when Pickerington North opened and
played our first concert. Twenty years later, we premiered Journey by the North Star with 167 students, grades
7-12, on the same stage. Jordan Koogler and his advanced orchestra also presented this work at the ASTA
National Conference in March 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky—the city where I received my Master of Music
in Composition and became a composer. This is one of those rare moments when I witness and marvel at
how the threads of my life overlap and appreciate anew the many people and choices that made it possible.
Thank you, Linda, for the countless ways that you shaped me as a young musician.
And thank you, Jordan, for the privilege to write for your orchestras on this special occasion.
Commissioned by Pickerington Local Schools (Jordan Koogler, director) in celebration of the
20 th anniversary of the orchestra program at Pickerington High School North.
Dedicated to Linda Stieg, in gratitude for her many years of work and leadership to build the
orchestra program in Pickerington and for all the music she shared over the years.
ENSEMBLE COMBINATIONS
Journey by the North Star works alone and as a side-by-side piece with the following orchestra combinations:
• Advanced Only
• Advanced + Intermediate
• Advanced + Elementary
• Advanced + Intermediate + Elementary
• Intermediate Only
• Intermediate + Elementary
BALANCE CONSIDERATIONS
The advanced and intermediate orchestras include the Elementary Lines (“North Star” theme) in their
respective parts. The parts are created this way so that the work may be performed as a self-contained work
with advanced or intermediate orchestras only and so that older players can reinforce the part for younger
players. The Elementary Part is essentially written in 2 voices; all violins and violas have the same material and
basses and cellos have the same/similar material.