Cyclonic Prelude (2016)

for brass sextet (2 tpts, 2 hrns, 1 tb, 1 tba)

 

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Cyclonic Prelude was written at the beginning of Rowlett's first semester of his Master's program at

Butler University. Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Rowlett rarely experienced tornadoes. 
Butler University is located just to the north of Indianapolis, however, where the land is flat for miles and the
wind is free to circle as it pleases. As Rowlett was already dealing with the whirlwind of emotions and trying
to find his footing on his first day of graduate school, he found himself trapped within the walls of Lily Hall as a

funnel cloud passed by overhead. Rowlett thought to himself, "What a way to start this new chapter in my life!"
And this experience served as the inspiration for Cyclonic Prelude.