Rapid Run: Works for Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble – Matt Hightower

Intriguing new self-composed accessible works for Tuba and Euphonium Ensemble from accomplished performer and educator, Matt Hightower.

GENRE: Classical/Chamber/Tuba/Euphonium
COMPOSER: Matt Hightower

Tuba and Euphonium: Matt Hightower 
Percussion: Justin Ball
Piano: Jacob Coleman

Rapid Run was a finalist for the 2023 Winston Morris Award in Composition and was premiered by the University of Kentucky Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble at the 2023 International Tuba Euphonium Conference.

Divertimento a three movement (fast-slow-fast) work that explores tight harmonies and a great deal of syncopation.

Tandem Tubas was premiered at the 2017 South Central Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference in Edinburg, TX. As the title suggests, one part of the duo always seems to be a bit behind echoing its counterpart.

The collaboration between Edgar Meyer, Yo-Yo Ma, Mark O’Connor, and Alison Krauss on “Heartland: An Appalachian Anthology” is nothing short of breathtaking and is the inspiration for this arrangement of Slumber My Darling for solo tuba and tuba quartet.

This arrangement of Fanfare and Chorus was arranged specifically to be the opening work of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble’s performance at the 2021 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference in Knoxville, TN.

Recovery Gates is an outlier on this album, being the only work specifically written for this project. Times of transition and growth can be tremendously challenging and this work was written as a means of escape in an otherwise turbulent time in Hightower’s life.

Invictus was written in 2023 for the Renegade 8, Florida State University’s flagship tuba-euphonium ensemble. The pentatonicism found throughout the work is based on the FSU war chant, a ubiquitous theme heard at FSU sporting events.

Planet X was commissioned by a group of LSU Tuba-Euphonium alumni that were or had studied with Joe Skillen in celebration of his 20th year teaching at LSU.