Click Symphony Performs ‘Radiant Ascent’ for Brass Ensemble
Summary
Click Symphony performs ‘Radiant Ascent’ for Brass Ensemble, commissioned as the concert closer for their Summer 2022 series.
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🎺 Click Symphony performed Brandon Dicks' Radiant Ascent for Brass Ensemble as the program closer for their Summer 2022 concert series. The work was commissioned specifically for this performance.
About the commission
Click Symphony commissioned Radiant Ascent for Brass Ensemble to serve as the closing work for their Summer 2022 series. The commission provided an opportunity to premiere a contemporary brass work that would leave a lasting impression on audiences while showcasing the ensemble's technical and expressive capabilities.
The brass ensemble instrumentation creates a powerful, cohesive sound that brings the composition's dramatic arc to life in an intimate chamber setting.
The composition
Radiant Ascent traces a musical journey from shadow into radiant light. The work explores:
• Emotional transformation from darkness to brilliance through shifting harmonic textures • Dynamic contrast between introspective quiet moments and powerful climactic sections • Technical demands that showcase the full range and expressive potential of brass instruments • Cohesive ensemble writing that balances individual voices with unified sound The piece demonstrates Brandon's compositional approach of combining accessible musical language with sophisticated structural development.
💡 DedicationRadiant Ascent is dedicated to Zachary Friedland, a composer who passed away in 2021. The work's journey from shadow to light reflects themes of remembrance and hope.
Multiple versions
Since its premiere, Radiant Ascent has been arranged for multiple instrumentation formats:
• Brass Band with solo trumpet (performed by Brandon with Salt River Brass in 2025) • Wind Ensemble with solo trumpet and euphonium • Chamber brass ensemble (original version performed by Click Symphony) Each version adapts the core musical material to different ensemble contexts while maintaining the work's emotional trajectory and thematic unity.
Related Media
- Audio: Radiant Ascent: Brass Band — Salt River Brass; Julie Desbordes, Conductor - Brandon Dicks, Trumpet