AIRBORNE
for symphonic wind band.
From the symphony, SUSPENDED.
Composed by Alex Shapiro.
Grade 5 and beyond.
2021. Duration ca. 4:45.
Published by Activist Music LLC (ASCAP).
Commissioned by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Band Fraternity, and Tau Beta Sigma, National Band Sorority, for the 2021 National Intercollegiate Band.
Premiered July 13, 2021 at the DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor.
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Click the arrow below
to listen to the recording of the premiere
by the National Intercollegiate Band,
conducted by Dr. Cynthia Johnston Turner;
live at the DeVos Performance Hall
in Grand Rapids, WI. July 13, 2021.
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AIRBORNE is available as a
physical, bound set of score and parts,
or as a digital set of .pdf score and parts.
Full set: $200.
Score only: $30.
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Click here to order from Activist Music:
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Click the icon to order the
print set from Hal Leonard:
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LICENSES INCLUDED:
Synchronization and mechanical rights are included free of charge for music educators and non-profit ensembles wishing to create a virtual recording and video of this piece, subject to written approval from Ms. Shapiro prior to publicly posting the media.
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Click here to listen:
Choose either the .mp3 or .WAV (better!). |
.mp3 |
.WAV |
AIRBORNE
(a stand-alone work that is also the first movement of SUSPENDED): |
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Listen to the full symphony:
SUSPENDED |
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Live concert performance by the USC Thornton Winds,
conducted by Allan McMurray at Bovard Auditorium, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA October 28, 2022.
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AIRBORNE: PERUSAL SCORE
(email Alex for access code)
Not for performance or duplication. |
.pdf file of the TRANSPOSED CONDUCTOR SCORE
9 x 12; 52 pages including covers, front and back matter, and blanks for print layout.
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CONDUCTOR SCORE
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The fast, short, turbulent passages of AIRBORNE launch and jerk upward, alternating with an insistent theme that marches relentlessly toward something unknown and ominous. A chaotic, ever-swirling and disorienting wake-up call, AIRBORNE was composed as the first movement of SUSPENDED, a symphony for winds, percussion, and pre-recorded soundscape. Sometimes we need to scream.
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PROGRAM BIO for Alex Shapiro 
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Watch the Eastman Wind Ensemble perform SUSPENDED, which begins with AIRBORNE, on March 23, 2022, with conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner.
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
Please note: The audio tracks in movements 2, 3, and 4 were not fully picked up by the video microphone. The audio in the hall is as loud as the ensemble, as can be best heard in the .WAV recording above.
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Watch the University of South Carolina Symphonic Winds performance of AIRBORNE on April 13, 2023, conducted by Jay Jacobs.
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The percussionists have significant presence. If possible, the timpani and mallet instruments should be located as close to the lip of the stage as possible to be best seen and heard, rather than remain buried in the back row.
Tempo is crucial, intended for a dizzying speed that conveys chaos and disorientation. The ideal tempo for AIRBORNE is quarter = 176! Please do not slow to anything less than quarter note = 166.
If possible, placing a mic pickup on the piano and the string bass will be very helpful, so that those instruments are better heard.
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Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, etc. are wonderful tools for affordably bringing Alex into your rehearsal, without having to book a plane flight! She has a great time coaching students, and the difference between their musicianship at the beginning of the session and by the time it ends, is remarkable.
Alex can tell the ensemble about how the piece was created and engage them in conversation, and even show them how her digital project studio works! It's also easy to arrange to have her say hello to the audience during a concert, via a custom video. Webhearsals connect musicians to the real person-- and the stories-- behind the notes on the music stands. Get in touch with Alex-- her contact info is at the bottom of this page.
To see some examples of webhearsals, and the view Alex loves to share from her desk, click here.
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Alex was an early adopter of online "webhearsals"! Here's one from December 2012 with Alex in her studio
on Washington's San Juan Island, and band director
Mary Bauer and the Mt. Mansfield Union High School Band far across the continent in Vermont.
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AIRBORNE is also the first movement of Alex's symphony for winds, percussion and pre-recorded soundscape, SUSPENDED. Click here to read about the work.
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The
VERY best way to reach Alex is
through email, by clicking here |
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You
can even send a fax (what's THAT?) to:
(270) 916-0093.
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All photographs by Alex Shapiro.
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There's a lot more Shapiro band music to hear!
Head on over to THIS PAGE for an overview of Alex's wind band pieces. You can listen to each one, read all about it via a link, and if desired, request a free pdf perusal score. Have fun! |
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