Volante Winds is proud to announce the commission of a new work for wind quintet by composer Brian Raphael Nabors.

In light of the events that have unfolded across our country, and throughout the world, we are proud to bring forth a piece that powerfully embodies this moment in history; juxtaposing fear, isolation, and grief with a prevailing sense of hope.

We are extremely excited that composer Brian Raphael Nabors has joined us in creating this work. His vision for the piece is incredibly moving (see below!) and we absolutely cannot wait to share this music with as wide of an audience as possible in 2021!

“Until Dawn” – Wind Quintet
Description from the Composer:

Until Dawn is a reflective journey from darkness to light. This journey is symbolic of the tumultuous times that have befallen the United States and the world in the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial civil unrest for the majority of the year 2020.

Our world is experiencing a state of darkness, where separation has crippled our social interaction. Nevertheless, in this time of grief and isolation, we are not powerless. Music has always been there to propel us through the darkest moments in history. For the listener, I seek to write this work as a reminder of steadfast optimism, which for me encompasses the belief that “joy comes in the morning.”

It is the result of the sheer audacity to believe that if we hold on, press forward, and lead with love and compassion, we will indeed see our morning, where effervescent light will drive out darkness and the hands of compassion will cradle us all.”

Brian Raphael Nabors
Composer and Pianist

Brian Raphael Nabors (b.1991, Birmingham, AL) is a composer of emotionally enriching music that tells exciting narratives with its vibrant themes and colorful harmonic language. Nabors’ music has been performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and ROCO Chamber Orchestra.

He was named a 2019 composer fellow in the American Composer’s Orchestra Earshot program with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; a 2019 composer fellow with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Lab; and 2019 cycle five grand prize winner of the Rapido! National Composition Contest by judges Robert Spano, Jennifer Higdon, and Michael Gandolfi. Nabors is also a 2020 Fulbright scholarship recipient to Sydney, Australia, studying with composer Carl Vine at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Nabors earned both a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degree in Composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he studied with Douglas Knehans, Ellen Ruth Harrison and Miguel A. Roig-Francolí. Prior to graduate studies, he obtained a Bachelor of Music Theory & Composition degree from the School of the Arts at Samford University, where he studied composition with Sarana Chou and piano with Kathryn Fouse.

 

Thank you to everyone who donated to the commissioning fund. This project would not have been possible without your support:

  • Tyler Taylor

  • Jessica Banks

  • Kathy Schultz

  • Yong Bo Ko

  • Rebecca Henderson

  • Carroll McGuire

  • Monica Dunn

  • Jacob Walsh

  • Kenneth C Johnson

  • Emily Spaugh

  • Anonymous

  • Karen Sheely

 

  • Catie McGovern

  • Ko Eungyeong

  • Catherine Cropp

  • Diana Blakney

  • Debra Blakney