A SONG FOR TOMORROW
by KEVIN DAY

 
 
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Grade 4 | 7:30 | © 2019

A Song for Tomorrow is a composition that is very near and dear to my heart. The piece was composed in memory of my friend Jonathan Foreman, who tragically died in September of 2018. Jonathan, his older brother David, and their family and I were close when we were in high school and so his death hit me very hard; as well as the family, and the students and faculty of Arlington High School. For his funeral, the room was packed with Arlington High School teachers, students, and alumni who knew Jonathan. Arlington High School was always a family and so it was amazing to see how many people came out to support and say their goodbyes. After the funeral service, I felt a deep pulling on my heart that I need to write something for David and the Foreman family, as a tribute to Jonathan. I pondered what to do for months until I was able to come up with a title and an idea for the piece. The title of the composition, A Song for Tomorrow, is inspired by a Latin phrase that was printed on Jonathan’s funeral program. This phrase read “Cras alius dies est”, which means “Tomorrow is Another Day”.

The song is meant to embody who Jonathan was, and provide hope and comfort to the family and friends who knew him for the days to come. The song features a chorale that I came up with that comes back in different forms throughout the piece. Jonathan was a trumpet player and so I wrote an off-stage trumpet solo that is played (which represents him), as well as a trumpet section feature that builds the climax of the piece. The piece explores different conflictions and dissonances, until coming to a peaceful resolution. This was incredibly hard for me to write and so I wanted to make sure that I put everything in my heart into this work. I hope that this piece can be comforting and provide peace to all who have lost someone close to them. I hope it gives them the strength to carry on through the days ahead, for every tomorrow that comes.

Recorded on November 12th, 2019 by the Langley High School Wind Symphony and Doug Martin.
Audio and video generously provided by the recording team at ARTS LAUREATE.