Closer to Home  |  6'
Grade 4 Wind Ensemble

Closer to Home exists in several arrangements: this new version for wind ensemble, and three original arrangements for a cappella chorus (SATB, SSAA, and TTBB).

In Fall 2017, my parents sold my childhood home within a day of putting it up for sale. I barely had time to come visit one last time before they moved. Although I hadn't lived there in twelve years, this was a place that I still thought of as home, in the way that you can leave the place where your life exists—in my case, Los Angeles—to go "home" to New Jersey, and then, on the flight back to California, say once again that you're returning home.

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The person who bought that house planned to tear it down and build another, bigger one in its place. (Now, several years after composing the choral version of this piece, I can confirm: the new house that stands at that address bears not a trace of similarity to my childhood home.) Knowing that I'd never see the house again made it even harder to leave, but I did go back one last time that summer. That experience was the inspiration for Closer to Home.

This new arrangement for wind ensemble was commissioned for Mona Shores High School (Jason Boyden, Director of Bands) to celebrate the memory of Fran Boyden.

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Closer to Home is available for purchase through Murphy Music Press.

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The following donors have generously funded this commission, and I am deeply grateful to them, Jason, and Mona Shores High School for making this project possible in celebration of Fran Boyden's life and work as an educator, community member, and mother.

Anonymous

The Alpert and Ellis Families

Linda Baird

Gary and Heidi Benson

Jason, Ruby, Noah and Goldwyn Boyden

Richard Boyden

Ted Boyden

Carsten and Kandance Boysen

The Chapman Family

Dan and Joan Christiansen

Judy Cohen and Teddy Okum

Syvette Cox

David and Jacky Darrow

Lucas and Courtney Farber

Tammy Farber

Lynnel and Randy Filbrandt

Lee Fonstein

Mark and Penny Garlock

David and Ruth Hekkema

The Hellman Family

Dennis and Bonnie Klont

Beatrice Koolovitz

Shawn and Molly Lawton

Mike Mack

Eric and Sarah Marong

Jack Morgan

Brent Mosley

Don and Mickey Mosley

Michelle and David Murphy

Greg and Kendra Nimtz

Mary Poort

Mike and Susi Potter

Matthew, Mindy, and Braydyn Price

Serene Price

Robert Scolnik

Jim and Martha Tanis

Mike and Cindy Wilkinson

Rosalyn Wright

Sue Zack

Fred and Shelli Zomer and Family