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Composer Portfolio

Christopher Salerno

Christopher's music blends original sean-nos’ - like melodies and jazz harmony, in order to point to something larger than ourselves. He is drawn to Baroque dance rhythms and often incorporates Tinntinabuli to evoke an ancient and contemplative mood. Recently, Christopher has  been exploring the use of traditional Western solo instrumental and chamber ensembles .

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Christopher is a Madison, WI based composer. His music has been featured in performances by the Chicago Brass Choir, the Rendezvous Arts Woodwind Quintet, and the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra. 

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SCORE VIDEOS

SCORE VIDEOS

SCORE VIDEOS
Vidimus - For String Quartet

Vidimus - For String Quartet

06:11
THE LIFE LINE

THE LIFE LINE

05:36
THE STORY OF STORIES - A Musical Narrative  for Woodwind Quintet

THE STORY OF STORIES - A Musical Narrative for Woodwind Quintet

28:18

Teacher - for Tuba Quartet (EETT) Dedicated to Roger Rocco
performed by members of the Chicago Brass Choir

The Story of Stories - A Musical Narrative for Woodwind Quintet
performed by the Rendezvous Arts Woodwind Quintet

PREVIOUS PROJECTS

Arrangements for Martha Bassett

I arranged the string and wind parts.

Angels We Have Heard on High (0:00)*

Ding Dong! Merrily on High (3:46)

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (6:09)*

I Wonder as I Wander (8:46)*

The Angel Gabriel (11:31)*

In the Bleak Midwinter (13:58)*

'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime (17:56)*

Coventry Carol (21:21)*

Away in a Manger (24:52)*

The Friendly Beasts (28:24)

Magnificat (31:22)*

 

​​*I arranged the strings, woodwinds, and brass

Minimal Tension Tracks

Honors and Awards

  • Best Creative Thesis Award, Graduate Composition Recital, 1994Radford University, Radford, VA

 

 

  • Reviewer's Choice, The Instrumentalist Magazine-Images of Appalachia, June, 1996-The Puckish Poltergeist, May, 1994

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  • Inclusion in the Yamaha Recommends Catalog-Recommendable for Japanese Bands by the Japan Band Clinic Committee, 1995: The Puckish Poltergeist (one of 50 new band publications out of 400)

 

  • Bandworld Top 100, BandWorld International Magazine, 1997-The Puckish Poltergeist

 

 

  • Virginia Intercollegiate New Band Music Symposium

     -Selected Participant-Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA February, 1996

   -Selected Participant-Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA February,         1993

    -Judge-Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA October, 2009

 

 

  • Listed in The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music Composers and Their Music, Heritage Press

The Puckish Poltergeist

Concert Band

The Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 1993

 

Images of Appalachia

Concert Band

The Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 1995

            

Save Himself Who Can

Concert Band

The Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 1997

 

A Hero's Welcome

Concert Band

The Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 1997

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Silent Night

Brass Quintet

Waterton Brass Music, 2010

            

Parade Procession

Concert Band

Alfred Publishing, 2012

Published Works

Commissions

The Good Fight

Canadaigua Academy, Canadaigua, NY

Tom Davis, Director

 

Tazwell Celebration Overture

Tazwell County, VA

 

A Day In The Life of Walter Mitty

New Trier High School Wind Ensemble, Winnetka, IL 

John Thomson, Director

 

Stand With Oil and Armor

Southeast Polk High School Concert Band, Runnells, IA 

Mary Anderson, Director

 

Flight of Apollo

Wheeling High School Wind Symphony, Wheeling, IL 

Brian J. Logan, Director

 

The Sun Rises, As Angels Fall

Wheeling High School Wind Symphony, Wheeling, IL 

Brian J. Logan, Director

 

Images of Appalachia

Martinsville Junior High School Band, 

Martinsville, VA Greyson Givens, Director

 

Essay In Remembrance

Deerfield Community Band, Chicago, IL 

Andrew Boysen, Jr., Director

 

Concertino for Band

Sun Prairie Senior High School Wind Ensemble, Sun Prairie, WI 

Bernard O. Powers, Director

 

 

Tyranena: Lake of Tranquility

Lake Mills City Band, Lake Mills, WI

Dave Anderson, Director

 

The Fall - for Woodwind Quintet

WCNP 89.5 Classically Christian Radio

Reedsburg, WI

 

The Story of Stories - for Woodwind Quintet

WCNP 89.5 Classically Christian Radio

Reedsburg, WI

List of Works

WIND ENSEMBLE/CONCERT BAND

 

 *published  +commission

 

Accolades!*

Falcon's Flight*

A Far, Far Better Thing...*

The Puckish Poltergeist*

Save Himself Who Can*

Tyranena: Lake of Tranquility+*

Images of Appalachia*+

A Hero's Welcome*

Parade Processional*

Flight of Apollo+

Essay In Remembrance+

Tazewell Celebration Overture+

Stand With Oil And Armor+

The Good Fight+

Concertino For Band+

A Day In The Life of Walter Mitty+

The Sun Rises, As Angels Fall+

The Grumpy Troll

Orion The Hunter

Escape From A Dark Forest

Candy Cane Twist

Fanfare For A Special Occasion

The Fall (transcription of original orchestral work)

A Mid-Summer Night's Dream Suite (transcription of an original work)

Gymnopedie No. 1 (transcription)

The Fall (transcription)

To A Wild Rose (transcription)

In Autumn (transcription)

A Trysting Place (transcription)

Adagio For Strings (transcription)

An Old Indian Lodge (transcription)

Will O' The Wisp (transcription)

Winter Morning (transcription)

In Church (transcription)

Neapolitan Song (transcription)

The Happy Farmer (transcription)

An Orphan (transcription)

Former Friends (transcription)

Sweet As Sugar (transcription)

Ein Chorale (transcription)

 

 

​

LARGE CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

        

A Mid-Summer Night's Dream - small orchestra  (incidental music)                     

March of The Critics - brass choir and percussion                             

Soliloquy - actor and ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, euphonium, double bass, percussion)

Crouching Lion - brass choir and percussion

 

 

​

SMALL CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

 

Scherzo - tuba\euphonium ensemble

Four Songs - 2 Sopranos and piano

Silent Night - brass quintet

The Dances of Bureaucrats - wind quartet (oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trombone)

The Fall - woodwind quintet (orchestrated from an original work)+

Teacher - tuba quartet (EETT)

The Story of Stories - woodwind quintet+

 

 

 

SOLO/INSTRUMENTAL 

 

Nocturne No.1 - solo piano                                    

Nocturne No. 2 - solo piano

Nocturne No. 3 - solo piano                                        

The Fall - piano four hands (transcribed from an original work)                        

Meditation 1 - solo piano                                        

Meditation 2 - solo piano                                            

The Life Line - solo piano

Life (poem by George Herbert) - unaccompanied solo voice

Peace (poem by Henry Vaughan) - unaccompanied solo voice

Lament No.1 - unaccompanied solo instrument

Vocalise - trombone and piano

Themes and Variations - unaccompanied tuba

Alone - soprano and percussion

 

 

 

ORCHESTRA/LARGE ENSEMBLE

 

The Puckish Poltergeist (orchestration an original work for concert band)

Por Una Cabeza - Symphony Orchestra                                

The Fall - Symphony Orchestra

Magnificat - Symphony Orchestra

The Wedding, Day and Night (orchestration)

Nocturnal Walks - Symphony Orchestra

 

 

 

CHORAL

 

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded - SATB divisi

The Lord's Prayer - SATB divisi

Psalm 22 - SATB divisi

Psalm 131 - SATB divisi

Fill Thou My Life (arrangement) - SATB divisi

Congregational Benedictions Vol. 1

Congregational Gloria Patri

Psalter Tunes - for Psalms 1-11

Our Father - SATB (congregational)

 

 

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ORCHESTRATIONS: TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE BAND METHOD BK. 2 ACC. CD’S

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Academic Festival March-Brahms

Largo-Dvorak

Triumphal March-Verdi

A Royal Fanfare

Anvil Chorus-Verdi

Barber of Seville-Rossini

Battle Pavane

Beethoven's 5th-Beethoven

Finale (New World)-Dvorak

Habanera-Bizet

March of the Toreadors-Bizet

Procession of the Nobles- Rimsky-Korsakov

Rigoletto-Verdi

We Merry Minstrels

NutCracker-Tchaikovsky

When Johnny Comes Marching Home

These Hallowed Halls

           

 

 

COMPOSITIONS/ARRANGEMENTS: STRING BASICS STRING METHOD ACC. CD’S

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Sword Dance

Ronde

The Jester

Arco Recovery

The Riddle Song

Let's Take Turns

Alouette

F Major March

First Finger

Diagonal

Minute Men

Call Fanfare

Bass Crossing

Low 1 On E

Rain Festival

The Erie Canal

The Palace Festival

 

 

 

ORCHESTRATIONS/ARRANGEMENTS: STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE BAND METHOD BK. 2 ACC. CD’S

​

Turkish March

Academic Festival March - Brahms

Theme from Symphony No. 94

Parade of the Tin Soldiers

Marche Slav 

 

 

 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR MARTHA BASSETT

 

Cool and Easy

Magnificat

The Angel Gabriel

Away In A Manger

Coventry Carol

I Wonder As I Wander

In The Bleak Midwinter

Magnificat

Twas In The Moon

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

 

​

 

MUSIC FOR SYNCHRONIZATION

 

Stone Cold

I'm Thinking

Betrayed

Obsessed

Confronted

Breaking In

Audacity!

I Can Explain

An Unexpected Twist

Chasing The Bad Guy

SERVING

Madison, WI

Middleton, WI

Stoughton, WI

Sun Prairie, WI

Deforest, WI

Verona, WI

Oregon, WI

Monroe, WI

Reedsburg, WI

Music Educator | Composer 

B. M. Ed.      M. A.

LONG DISTANCE VIRTUAL LESSONS AVAILABLE FROM ANYWHERE ELSE

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