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Ian Lester Bio
Ian Lester (he/him) is an award-winning composer, euphonium player, and teacher currently pursuing
his Doctorate degree in euphonium performance and Master’s degree in composition at the University
of Missouri – Kansas City, where he also received his Master's degree in euphonium performance. Ian
received his Bachelor’s degree in euphonium performance and pursued additional composition studies
at Oakland University in his home state of Michigan.
Ian’s music has been described as "high energy", "innovative", and "thoughtful and concise" by the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA). His music focuses on melodic and rhythmic
structure, drawing inspiration from sources such as film music, synthwave, and music of the 20th and
21st Century, just to name a few. Ian was selected as the 2021 Composer in Residence for the nationally recognized and award-winning Volker Brass Quartet, which culminated in the world premiere performance
of Ian's work ENERGY SUITE. Most recently, Ian was named the winner of the 2022 UMKC Composition Competition with his work Mental Pendulum written for and premiered by the Factory Seconds Brass Trio. Ian's primary composition teachers include Terry Herald, Ben Fuhrman, Paul Rudy, Yotam Haber,
Chen Yi, and Zhou Long.
his Doctorate degree in euphonium performance and Master’s degree in composition at the University
of Missouri – Kansas City, where he also received his Master's degree in euphonium performance. Ian
received his Bachelor’s degree in euphonium performance and pursued additional composition studies
at Oakland University in his home state of Michigan.
Ian’s music has been described as "high energy", "innovative", and "thoughtful and concise" by the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA). His music focuses on melodic and rhythmic
structure, drawing inspiration from sources such as film music, synthwave, and music of the 20th and
21st Century, just to name a few. Ian was selected as the 2021 Composer in Residence for the nationally recognized and award-winning Volker Brass Quartet, which culminated in the world premiere performance
of Ian's work ENERGY SUITE. Most recently, Ian was named the winner of the 2022 UMKC Composition Competition with his work Mental Pendulum written for and premiered by the Factory Seconds Brass Trio. Ian's primary composition teachers include Terry Herald, Ben Fuhrman, Paul Rudy, Yotam Haber,
Chen Yi, and Zhou Long.
Hindsight Program Notes
2020 will be remembered as a massively eventful, turbulent, and important year in both United States and world history. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe, killing over 3 million people as of April 2021. Furthermore, political and social unrest in the United States has created a precarious divisiveness within the country; all of this happening in an age where widespread misleading and false information clouds any truth. Hindsight revolves around the saying “hindsight is 20/20”, an expression that in this instance, refers to how humanity might look back on the year 2020. Hindsight is written in an arch form (ABCBA) with slight deviations within the larger sections.
The three continuous main segments are as follows:
A. The Empty Streets: The opening section depicts the rapid shift from bustling cities to the eerie scenes of empty streets as fear of the pandemic struck people around the world using a combination of rustling sounds, footsteps, warm polysynths, an acoustic guitar/ocarina pad, electric bass, and a siren. Only the guitar, bass, and warm synths are brought back to accompany the recapitulation of this section. Combined with the brighter harmonies, the work ends peacefully with a sense of optimism.
B. Pandemic Pandemonium: This fast-paced, rhythmic segment portrays the chaos as crowds flooded grocery stores in a desperate attempt to hoard essential items for the seemingly apocalyptic scenario. Within this section, there is a lyrical, yet rhythmically unstable melody that appears while the groove continues in the electric guitar and bass line. During the second iteration of the segment, the addition of arpeggiating bright synths create further instability against the sustained tuba line.
C. March: This section is my attempt to convey the feelings of extensive political and social conflict in the United States. Propelled by a marching snare drum and snappy rhythms both in the solo part and accompaniment, the harmonic structure remains dark, creating a stark contrast and discord within the music.
The three continuous main segments are as follows:
A. The Empty Streets: The opening section depicts the rapid shift from bustling cities to the eerie scenes of empty streets as fear of the pandemic struck people around the world using a combination of rustling sounds, footsteps, warm polysynths, an acoustic guitar/ocarina pad, electric bass, and a siren. Only the guitar, bass, and warm synths are brought back to accompany the recapitulation of this section. Combined with the brighter harmonies, the work ends peacefully with a sense of optimism.
B. Pandemic Pandemonium: This fast-paced, rhythmic segment portrays the chaos as crowds flooded grocery stores in a desperate attempt to hoard essential items for the seemingly apocalyptic scenario. Within this section, there is a lyrical, yet rhythmically unstable melody that appears while the groove continues in the electric guitar and bass line. During the second iteration of the segment, the addition of arpeggiating bright synths create further instability against the sustained tuba line.
C. March: This section is my attempt to convey the feelings of extensive political and social conflict in the United States. Propelled by a marching snare drum and snappy rhythms both in the solo part and accompaniment, the harmonic structure remains dark, creating a stark contrast and discord within the music.