Treasure Quest

Description

Go on an adventure for buried treasure in this new work for band by composer Robert Thurston. Thurston’s music is always unique, and the use of staccatos in this one is a great opportunity to work on style in a piece that is also fun and engaging for the whole ensemble. A winner on any concert program.

Program Notes

I composed “Treasure Quest” in 2023 as a gift to my granddaughter Ava, a 7th-grade Trombonist in her middle-school band at the time. At the end of her first day of 6th grade, she told her mom (my daughter): “I have found my people.” As of 2025, she has stayed with it in high school, and she enjoys it as much as ever.

The premiere performance of “Treasure Quest” was given by the Summer Creek Middle School Honors Band in Crowley, Texas. I conducted it at the kind invitation of Ava’s band directors, Caitlyn Koch and Nick Nunley.

I don’t always start a composition with a title in mind, and that was the case with this one. When I sent Ava a MIDI demo and asked what she would call it, “Treasure Quest” was her first suggestion. I think it works beautifully.