Compositions

Stacey Berk's compositions are available through Cocobolo Music Press. Contact Stacey at stacey@berkworks.com for more information and/or if you are thinking of commissioning a work!

LARGE ENSEMBLE WORKS

  • Alice in Wonderland (orchestra, duration 19:00)

    This delightful ballet was commissioned in 2007 by the Point Dance Ensemble, Pamela Luedtke, Artistic Director. It was performed with the Point Dance Ensemble dancers and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra at Sentry Theater in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, December, 2007.

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  • Avian Suite (orchestra, duration 15:00)

    Kimberly Helton and The Polaris Wind Quintet commissioned Avian Suite for woodwind quintet and premiered it in February 2011. The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra commissioned the re-orchestration.

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  • Fanfare Jubilee (wind ensemble, grade 4, duration 5:10)

    Dedicated to Kenneth M. Snoeck by his present and former students and by the Lake Park High School Band Boosters Association. Premiered May 19, 2004 at Lake Park High School, Illinois.

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  • Flight (Solo Oboe and Wind Ensemble, duration 12:30)

    Premiere performance: October 21, 2011, with oboist Nancy Ambrose King and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Wind Ensemble, Brendan Caldwell, conductor.

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  • Novae (concert band, grade 4, duration 6:08)

    Commissioned by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Jack Stamp, Conductor of University Bands. Recorded on "IUP Bands 2000" available from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

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  • Phrygian Festival Overture (concert band, grade 3, duration 5:20)

    Commissioned by the Westfield Community School 8th Grade Band, Algonquin, Illinois; Anthony Gnutek, director. This work was premiered at the Illinois Music Educators Convention in 2006

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  • Portraits of the Odyssey (wind ensemble, grade 5, duration 16:00)

    Premiered by the U.S. Air Force Band of the West and played on tour throughout the southwest U.S.

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  • Reflections (orchestra, duration 8:00)

    Commissioned by the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra for its 70th anniversary, this celebratory work will be premiered October 2018.

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DOUBLE WIND QUINTET AND LARGE CHAMBER WORKS

  • Alice in Wonderland (fl, ob, clar, bsn, hn, tpt, vln, cello, perc - duration 25:00)

    This ballet was commissioned in 2007 by the Point Dance Ensemble, Pamela Luedtke, Artistic Director. It was performed with the Point Dance Ensemble dancers and chamber ensemble at Sentry Theater in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, March, 2007. This chamber version was the original instrumentation, then it was re-scored for full orchestra to be performed later the same year.

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  • Doodling Through History (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 2 hn, duration 18:30)

    Premiered by the U.S. Air Force Band of the West Chamber Players and performed many times. A super fun romp through history, using Yankee Doodle as the theme! This piece requires the instrumentalists to *gasp* sing and narrate! One of the musicians acts as a professor, teaching the audience about the different time periods of music history, and each instrumentalist introduces one time period. Make it even more fun with props and costumes!

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  • Portraits of the Odyssey (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 2 hn; duration 16:00)

    Premiered by the U.S. Air Force Band of the West Chamber Players, and played on tour through much of the U.S. This was the original instrumentation. It was re-scored to be performed with wind ensemble.

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  • Summer Scenes (2 fl (picc), 2 ob, Bb cl, Bb bass Cl, 2 bsn, 2 hn, vibraphone, marimba; duration 11:30)

    Commissioned in 2003 by the U.S. Band of Mid-America; Lieutenant Colonel Steven Grimo, Commander.

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SMALL CHAMBER AND SOLO WORKS

  • Avian Suite(Woodwind Quintet, duration 12:00)

    Kimberly Helton and The Polaris Wind Quintet commissioned Avian Suite and premiered it in February 2011.

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  • Corncopian Fanfare: Fanfare for Plenty o' Horns (horn octet, duration 1:50)

    Commissioned by Patrick Miles and the UWSP Horn Studio for the 2006 Midwest Horn Workshop.  This commission was funded in part by the Xi Omicron chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and the Alpha Alpha chapter of Delta Omicron.

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  • Little Child (soprano and harp or piano, duration 5:00)

    A beautiful and touching lullaby. Soprano range Ab3-Bb5. Premiered with Susan Bender and Michael Keller performing, April, 2006.

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  • Myths for Solo Oboe (duration 8:00)

    Composed in 1995, Myths is written in the same style as Benjamin Britten's Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, also using characters from Ovid's text, but with a few more modern performance techniques to describe the stories of the characters.

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  • To Daffodils (medium voice and English horn, duration 3:00)

    Wistful setting of Robert Herrick's famous poem of the same name.

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  • Tzango! (saxophone quartet, duration 3:30) [Available from Roncorp Publications]

    Dedicated to the Drake University chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. It's a tango for sax quartet with a little jazz thrown in for good measure! This fun work will delight audiences and performers alike.

  • Valley Song I (tenor and piano, duration 1:20)

    Lovely setting of Carl Sandberg's "Valley Song" from Cornhuskers, 1918.

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  • Valley Song II (tenor and piano, duration 3:15)

    Another setting of a Carl Sandburg "Valley Song", this one from Smoke and Steel, 1922.

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HUMOROUS DOUBLE REED WORKS

  • A Moon and a Mountain Away (for double reed quartet and narrator, duration 17:00)

    Commissioned by Wizards! Double Reed Consort with text by Therese Weaver

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  • Fanfare for the Common Mandrel (2 ob, EH, 2 bsn)

    Silly combination of Copland, Mickey Mouse, and others! Another big audience pleaser.

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  • Hungarian Wraps a Reed (2 ob, EH, bsn)

    A great encore piece! It's Liszt's famous Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 arranged for double reed quartet. Lots of fun!

  • Ladder Jive (2 ob, EH, 2 bsn)

    This super fun piece for double reed quintet was commissioned by the Midwest Double Reed Society for the 2008 Midwest Double Reed Festival. "Ladder Jive" is a fun, fast jazz-style swing piece, arranged from themes in Rossini's "La Scala di Seta" (The Silken Ladder).

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  • Oboi, Oboi! (2 ob, 2 EH)

    Fun pastiche of songs. Each instrument gets a turn, then they all play their themes simultaneously! Performed often as a crowd pleaser!

  • Pasticcio Dandy (2 oboes, English horn)

    Commissioned by the Madera Trio. This fun piece was composed for educational concerts, to introduce the music periods to audiences of all ages. It is "history rewritten the Yankee Doodle way"!

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  • The Reed-Makin' Blues (2 ob, EH, 2 bsn)

    This super fun piece for double reed quintet was commissioned by the Midwest Double Reed Society for the 2008 Midwest Double Reed Festival. "Swingin' the Spring" is freely arranged as a swing-style version of themes from Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring". See how many quotes you can find!

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  • Swingin' the Spring (ob, 2 EH, 2 bsn)

    This super fun piece for double reed quintet was commissioned by the Midwest Double Reed Society for the 2008 Midwest Double Reed Festival. "Ladder Jive" is a fun, fast jazz-style swing piece, arranged from themes in Rossini's "La Scala di Seta" (The Silken Ladder).

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