Mark Rogers, Music Director of the Heart of Texas Concert Band, first met British composer Philip Sparke at a band as band clinic in Chicago. But when Rogers went to invite him to a program last April devoted to his music, the composer declined. For a good reason.
“Dogs.”
Rogers said that Sparke explained, “’Well, we have these dogs, and my wife will not allow me to kennel them. So when I take these long trips to the states… she has to take off work so that she can take care of the dogs while I'm in the States.’”
“And I said, you know, what a silly answer, but you have to respect the life choices that he makes!”
Rogers said that what makes Sparke’s music—well, spark—is that he’s “a composer who has spent his entire life in Britain. He has never had the necessity of writing music for middle school band, and so he's always written for adults his entire life, and he's very, very gifted in writing for British brass bands.”
Those British bands regularly play in competitions, and so Sparke’s music is at a high level.
Enjoy this program from the Heart of Texas Concert Band recorded live at Highlands High School on April 13, 2025, that features Sparke’s original music, plus arrangements of pieces by Bach and Debussy.
PROGRAM:
- Four Norfolk Dances – Philip Sparke
- Sleepers, Awake – Johann Sebastian Bach
- Dance Movements – Philip Sparke
- The Girl with the Flaxen Hair – Claude Debussy
- A Quiet Moment – Philip Sparke
- The Year of the Dragon – Philip Sparke
