Harnsberger-Shine On, Circular Quay

I was fortunate enough to visit Australia in November of 2012. One of the places I visited was Circular Quay (“key”), the area where the famous Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor are located. This is a huge tourist area with shops and restaurants, and it was just turning summer over there so it was packed with people, locals and tourists alike. The Australian people are incredibly friendly and helpful and enthusiastic! When I returned home, I wanted to write a piece that captured the energy that I felt at Circular Quay. I also wanted to put something “Australian” in the piece (besides the Kookaburra song!). I remembered there were street performers playing their didgeridoos and singing, but they were only singing 4 notes, in random rhythm. So the entire piece is really based on those 4 notes, which are played alone in measure 19. This is piece is dedicated to my Australian mate, William Sisson.

- Andy Harnsberger

• Number of players: 1
• Difficulty: Advanced
• Instrumentation: Marimba