New Day Dawning is the first piece that I wrote in my new role as Composer-in-Residence for the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras, an organization founded in 2005 under the musical direction of Benjamin Loeb and in conjunction with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. This work celebrates the beginning of a new day for the EPSYOs, which in its short life has already provided wonderful performing opportunities for young musicians in the El Paso area and greatly enriched the regions musical life.
The piece opens calmly with a melody that gradually unfolds, like the peaceful awakening of a new day as the sun slowly warms the landscape with its light. A faster, more animated section follows, expressing the excitement of a new beginning. Variations of these two sections alternate until the piece concludes serenely and confidently.
