Listen to Isla de Coco:
Instrumentation
Flute 1 and 2
Oboe
Bassoon
Clarinet in Bb 1 and 2
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Trumpet in Bb 1 and 2
Horn in F
Trombone
Euphonium B.C.
Tuba
Timpani
Glockenspiel
Wood Blocks (two pitches)
Bongos
Congas
Cabasa
Triangle
Program Notes
I was recently on vacation at an island off the coast of Honduras, with beautiful white-sand beaches and clear-blue water. At the beach, merchants walk up and down selling coconuts that they could open up for you with a machete, then drop in a straw to consume the yummy coconut water. The atmosphere was so inspiring, I decided to write a piece in honor of this beautiful place. “Isla de Coco” means “coconut island” in Spanish, and this piece characterizes the fun of being at a beach in the Caribbean.