True Characters (2016)

Program Note

This piece was composed for my mom, Mary Wolf, to honor the memory of a handful of people who have left an impression in her life. She met all of these people while she worked at the Veterans Home in my hometown of Buffalo, WY, and at the VA in Sheridan, WY. I hoped to capture the great things that these people did in their lives in the way that my mom explained them to me.

– Shawna M. Wolf

Joe Runestead – Joe loved words and made it a point to learn a new word every day. He used his word knowledge to solve the toughest crossword puzzles. Joe would leave a dictionary open on his desk and share his words with me. When I brought him a new word, he would always give me a small reward like a flower or candy; he even gave me a small stuffed bear once!

Jerry Holgate was a very quite and gentle person. He did not speak to many people, but he talked to me. He had a shy smile that would melt anyone’s heart. Jerry loved milk shakes and looked forward to the shakes that were served on Saturday. But he didn’t just loved shakes, Jerry loved everyone.

Doris Imberlin was a stern woman who liked her things to be “just so.” She was also quick to give encouragement to those who needed it. The best way to describe her is: she was the old-school grandma that everyone loved.

John Strong – John loved the Old West and he loved music. He would wait outside the rooms that I was cleaning and listen to me sing. He loved hearing Shawna come play her clarinet and oboe. John had a love of life, music, and horses. He used to say: “A smile on the face is worth two in the heart.”

The unknown veteran was a man who was in the hospital at the VA. I was cleaning his room as he was on his death bed. I sat next to his bed and held his hand as he passed. He had no family, and his friends were all gone. It was an honor to give this war veteran a hand to hold, and a listening ear as he left this world.

John Grabowski was a very smart man. He worked hard and went out of his way to help others. He loved to ride his bike and the outdoors. Family was very important to him. John was always busy, but never too busy to stop and appreciate the little things in life. When he smiled, it made you want to smile as well.

– Mary E. Wolf

Instrumentation

Piccolo
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Bassoons
3 Clarinets
Bass Clarinet
2 Alto Saxophones
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone

3 Trumpets
4 Horns
3 Trombones
Euphonium
Tuba

Timpani
Percussion 1: Snare, Vibraphone, Tom, Triangle, Jawbone, Woodblock, Orchestral Bells
Percussion 2: Bass Drum, Triangle, Tubular Bells, Vibraphone, Tom, Snare
Percussion 3: Snare, Marimba, Orchestral Bells, Triangle

Parts are written for single player only, except for Euphonium and Tuba.