EDUCATIONsite enter >>				Ben Wahlund  |  Composer, Educator  |  bwahlund@hotmail.com 3270 Salem Court  |  Aurora, Illinois 60504 630.236.7243 studio  |  630.464.0576 cell

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed observing patterns and relationships in my environment and this has always given way to a mystic sense of causality behind them. When I compose music, it is in that spirit that I try to contribute to the sounds of the world with music meant to evoke just as natural an experience as anything else found in our surroundings. As in life, sometimes these patterns and relationships bring about very challenging music for performers and audience members – sometimes simple and quite accessible – but either way; always honest, earnest, and full of reverence for the opportunity to share these experiences together. Regarding commissions, I do enjoy a fairly unique relationship with everyone for whom I compose. It means a lot to me that musicians can perform something with my name on it that they believe in. It is for that reason that I spend a lot of time on every commission musing on similarities and differences in our lives and try to reflect them in one way or another in their given piece(s). I can be contacted personally to visit about the commission process and provide a number of references.

MARIMBA

Mocha marimba solo

Orlando's Shoes marimba solo

To Endless, White Summers marimba solo

Three Folk Songs marimba solo

1) Jump Down

2) Shanendoah

3) Tis a Gift to be Simple

With Sunshine in His Face marimba solo

VIBRAPHONE

Hard-Boiled Capitalism and the Day Mr. Friedman Realized Google is a Verb vibraphone solo

SNARE DRUM

The Benson Dances snare drum solo

MULTIPLE PERCUSSION

Murakami's Empty Chair multiple percussion solo

Rip: 1800 and Counting multiple percussion solo

Spoken Word multiple percussion solo

STEEL PAN

The Premonition of Daelalus and His Parting Words for Icarus steel pan solo (tenor)

Championship Vinyl steel pan solo in three movements (double seconds)

1) Boba Fett Speaks

2) Minimini Mou - Now

Interlude - Let's Eat a Pancake

3) Bon Jovi's Oval Office

The Whimsical Nature of Small Particle Physics snare drum and recording

Fahrenheit 451 solo drumset and recording

Crystal Butterfly solo marimba and recording

An Animated Discription of Mr. Maps cajon and recording (to be performed with the original recording by The Books)

Pegasus solo snare drum and percussion trio

The Innkeeper's Daughter solo marimba and steel pan ensemble

True North steel drum concertino with piano and percussion trio

Only When Eternity Nears tenor steel drum concerto with orchestra

Bring the Rain carillon and multiple percussion

Dooet Number Too two snare drums

Four Sketches for Sam steelpan (tenor/seconds) and marimba

1) Little, Yellow Flowers

2) A Good Day

3) Silhouette

4) Dreamfields

In the History of Man marimba and drumset

The New Objectivist percussion quartet

Passage percussion quintet with solo oboe or clarinet

Joyride many percussionists on car or van

A Day in the Life of Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov Suite large percussion ensemble (11)

1) Fyodor

2) Dmitry

3) Ballet of Indecision

4) Ivan

5) Smerdanakov

6) Schoolboys

7) The Elder Zosima and the Smell of Decay

8) Alyosha (Karamazov Epilogue)

Spanish Point large percussion ensemble with steel pans (12-14)

Forward, Together, Forward: Fanfare for Percussion Orchestra large percussion ensemble (13)

Lift the Wings from Riverdance (6 percussionists w/ solo voice and opt. flute)

Luki by John McLaughlin (12 percussionists w/ rhythm section)

Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce (12 percussionists w/ rhythm section)

Texas Twister by Little Feat (11 percussionists w/ rhythm section)

Widowmaker

The Dancing Colors of Nighttime Firesky

Crimson

The Candyman's Lament chorale arrangement of The Candyman, from the film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Crazy in Love as performed by Beyoncé

Ode piano and soprano voice

A Slow Unraveling of When the World was Ours and We Knew the Answers trombone quartet

Study #1 tenor saxophone solo

The Clock on Dr. Smith's Wall trio for piano, drumset and cello

Two Rivers suite for wind ensemble

A Course Study in Percussion a series of classroom teaching supplementals consisting of graded exercises and etudes, commissioned by nationally recognized educator and performer, Vern Spevak

The Floppy Paw Book a workbook for the Black Dog Music Studio comprised primarily of works from A Course Study in Percussion, but with extensive appendices.

The Symphony and Steel Composition Contest - Grand Prize, hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago National Symphony Orchestra, Methanex, The University of the West Indies, and The Music Literacy Trust For Only When Eternity Nears, Fall of 2008

The Quey Percussion Duo Annual International Composition Contest - 1st Place For the percussion duet, In the History of Man - Fall of 2005

The Keystone International Percussion Composition Contest - 2nd Place For the snare drum solo, The Whimsical Nature of Small Particle Physics - Spring of 2007

The Percussive Arts Society International Composition Contest - 2nd Place For the marimba solo, Crystal Butterfly - Summer of 2003

The Percussive Arts Society International Composition Contest - 3rd Place For the marimba and steelpan duet, Four Sketches for Sam - Summer of 2006