
for percussion ensemble (3.5')
instrumentation (9 players):
two vibraphones, four marimbas (one 5-octave), glockenspiel, two percussion (cajon, mounted bass drum, shaker, three cymbals)
notes:
Dedicated to my alma mater, Hendrickson High School, Volemos is a musical reflection on
the formative years that shaped my career. The title, translating to “let’s fly,” is a nod to the
school’s mascot, the Hendrickson Hawks, and serves as both a tribute and an invitation to
take flight and embrace the journey ahead with energy and passion.
In composing Volemos, I found myself revisiting the music that filled my early years,
particularly the Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms that have increasingly become a defining
element of my musical voice. The piece is infused with the syncopation, drive, and vitality of
these styles, capturing their vibrant energy and relentless momentum while evoking the
soaring motion of flight—at times weightless and gliding, at others propulsive and rhythmic,
like the steady wingbeats of a hawk in ascent.
Volemos was commissioned by Nathan Zamora for the Hendrickson High School Percussion
Ensemble and premiered in March 2025 at the Music for All Festival.
World Premiere: March 2025 (Indianapolis, IN)