Bulwark is dedicated to the medical personnel fighting daily on the front lines against the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the scientists who succeeded in developing a vaccine against the virus in record time. Their resilience and determination have been a glimmer of hope in a tumultuous world.

The work is adapted from the opening chorale and principal melody of my 2011 brass quartet’s first movement, which I had long wanted to develop into a work for full wind band. Its stoic character and deliberate pacing was a perfect fit for the story I wanted to tell in 2021.