The Gallowglass

In 2019, I began writing a piece for the trumpet students at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, TX. While the COVID-19 pandemic would unfortunately put my need to complete the piece on hold, it would resurface in 2022 with talk of forming an all-star group of high school trumpet players from the north Austin area to compete in the 2023 National Trumpet Competition. The music was finished, the group was formed, and rehearsals were underway, but the piece didn’t have a name! I think it took me all the way up to the competition video submission deadline to decide on the name being The Gallowglass. The Gallowglass were a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaellic clans of Ireland and Scotland between the mid 13th and late 16th century. In my head, the piece had a sort of Celtic/Gaelic influence, and it was also kind of epic sounding, so this was a pretty fitting title. I admittedly thought that Gallowglass was a weird word and didn’t really like settling on it. However, and maybe it was quasi-Stockholm syndrome, the title grew on me with time. The general form of the piece is ABA, with the A sections consisting of thrilling adventure music and the B section a solemn lament featuring the flugelhorn.
The ATX Trumpet Ensemble premiered The Gallowglass at the 2023 National Trumpet Competition in Boulder, Colorado, winning first place in the High School Ensemble Division. The group members were Aiden Spicer, Emily Woekek, Katherine Votruba, Braden Frazer, Will Bryant, and Ben Kolecki. The ensemble was coached by Gilbert Elorreaga, Dr. Kyle Koronka, Jeremy Spicer, and Casey Martin.