for Virtuoso Clarinet and Young Band Accompaniment (grade 3)

Under Exclusivity until Oct. 1, 2026!

Program Notes

One day while in prayer, I had an inspiration of a blue rose. On that same day, I coincidentally found an artificial blue rose in a drawer that I had forgotten about, which inspired me to write the piece.  After some research, I learned that because the blue rose does not naturally occur, it symbolizes the mysterious, impossible, and the supernatural. In folktales of various cultures, the blue rose typically represents a mythical magical flower which symbolizes the pursuit of the unattainable.  One popular tale features a princess who declares a common white rose to be the "Blue Rose," establishing a true understanding between her and the minstrel she chooses to marry—the idea that pure love surpasses the impossible.

Like the blue rose, the clarinet’s opening gesture and virtuosic passages depict the supernatural and the extraordinary.  The band’s accompaniment represents the spirit of challenging the impossible and following your dreams.

Blue Rose Concerto was commissioned by a consortium led by Gabrielle Baffoni, Professor of Music, Clarinet at Southeast Missouri State University

Consortium Members include:

Liz Aleksander, University of Tennessee-Martin

Peter Bianca, South Shore Conservatory

Katherine Breeden, PhD at Technological University, Dublin, Ireland

Alexandra Doyle, Northeastern State University

Elizabeth Gunlogson, University of New Hampshire

Lilly Haley

Jesse Krebs, Truman State University

Sarah Manasreh-Decker, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Amy McCann, Murray State University

Kathy Mulcahy, George Mason University

Jeff & Jaclyn Quamo, Mesa & Chandler-Gilbert Community Colleges

Katie Rice, Washington State University

Michael Rowlett, University of Mississippi

Robert Spring

Jana Starling, Western University, Ontario, Canada

Suzanne Tirk, The University of Oklahoma

-notes by Theresa Martin, Sept., 2025

Duration: 5:50