Psychedelic Circus —1998

Psychedelic Circus was composed for Jack Hontz and the Strath Haven High School Wind Ensemble, funded, in part, by a Community Engagement Grant from the American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter.

Program Note

The melodies in this composition are developments and variations of melodies written by the following students in John Shankweiler’s Fall 1998 Writing Music I class at Strath Haven High School: I. Lydia Holt and Shira Moss; II. John Daly, Jordan Nelson, and Liam Castellan; and III. Daniel Billings and Brendan Dalton. The movement titles are combinations of free-association phrases written by the students in the above-mentioned class while listening to a synthesized MIDI draft of this composition. Special thanks to Jack Hontz, John Shankweiler and his Writing Music I class at SHHS, Tina Davidson and the American Composers Forum—Philadelphia Chapter, and Tony LaSalle.

Movements

I. GRAND OPENING
II. A FRIEND YOU KNOW REALLY WELL
III. PSYCHEDELIC CIRCUS