Choose Joy, Carolinas Wind Orchestra presents Celebration of Spring at Butler Highschool

Choose Joy by Randall Standridge
Inspired by a high school student who found happy moments even in the face of terminal cancer, Choose Joy was the motto the student and her family used to navigate this difficult time. Using elements of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, the work alternates between rhythmic and joyful intensity and a more nostalgic and bittersweet lyrical moment in the middle. The trio heard near the beginning of the piece represents the student and her siblings and the parts were written for the instruments they played in band. The composer states that the piece serves as a “tribute to all those who choose joy in times of darkness.”
Celebration of Spring
May 13, 2025
Butler Highschool Auditorium
CAROLINAS WIND ORCHESTRA
www.carolinaswindorchestra.org
Choose Joy, Standridge
Andrew Francis - Conductor
With members of the Butler High School Band