× Upcoming Events Dean's Circle Donate Email Sign-up Staff Shenandoah Conservatory Past Events
Night On Fire (2013)
John Mackey

“Night on Fire” is the second movement of a piece The Soul Has Many Motions, which was commissioned by student music groups at the University of Texas at Austin to honor the retirement of Dick Floyd. This movement bears a direct relationship to its musical predecessor, Strange Humors, which was brought into being as a wind band work by Mr. Floyd. Where Strange Humors possesses a singular and often intimate voice, “Night on Fire” is a full-throated shout of collective expression. Its pace is frantic from the outset, with the unique kind of energy that comes only from groups engaged in choreography that is at once carefully planned and seemingly spontaneous. Dick’s masterful teaching has made this kind of energetic expression possible for thousands of musicians over the course of his career, and the relentless drive of “Night on Fire” matches that same quality in Dick’s character that has brought so many musical possibilities to life.