America, To US (2025)
concerto for six-string violin & orchestra (four-string violin version available on request)
by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)
originally written for Tracey Silverman

Instrumentation: 2 flutes (II. dbl. piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, timpani, 2 percussion (drum kit, orchestral bass drum, triangle, 2 woodblocks, glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, harp, piano, solo violin (6-string electroacoustic, amplified instrument)
Length: 21 minutes
Please contact us to rent orchestral score + parts

COMPOSER’S NOTE:
“When I began writing America, To US, I wanted to confront the complicated country I am living in — a deeply divided nation — and the many Americans and other humans within it. In this concerto, the soloist inhabits the role of witness in front of an orchestra that reflects our Ameri- can culture in its embrace of and opposition to ideas. That tension, between witness and cul- ture, is at the center of this work. Just as importantly, this work was written for the great American violinist, Tracy Silverman, who has had violin concertos written from him by legendary composers such as John Adams, Terry Riley, and Roberto Sierra.

The score begins with disruption and a recurring theme of volatility. The six-string violin and use of multiple sonic effects allow for a deeper and distorted sound than a more traditional instrument. Throughout the concerto, the violinist navigates riffs, glissandi, fragments, grooves, long-lined melodies, and moments of improvisation. The music alternates between large, dense orchestral textures and intimate, clear, chamber music textures, where individual members of the orchestra collaborate closely with the soloist. A recurring rondo theme, entitled 'In the Shadow of Moonlight', is a slow, languid and anguished melody that expresses my feelings of helplessness and hope for my country.” - DBR

PERFORMANCE NOTE:
There are four “Town Hall Cadenzas” involving Speakers 1-8 (members of the audience) speaking, singing, using sign-language, and/ or expressing themselves for fifteen seconds or less as indicated in the score. Ideally, two microphones on mic stands will be placed in an area that will allow the Speakers to move to them, guided by ushers or members of the orchestral staff.

“This is a work that honors the 500 year old history of string playing while also imagining a future of strings that participates fully in the music of our communities, the music that surrounds us everywhere in our contemporary musical culture.” - Tracy Silverman, premiere violinist 

Please contact us for rental, to request a preview score, or to purchase a study score.