Diane Wittry: “after the rain”

The inspiration for my piece “after the rain” came from sitting outside after a rain storm when the rain drops were still wet on the trees. In those quiet moments, one can hear the gentle drop of the water as it hit a trash can lid or some other surface. Occasionally the wind blows and the droplets splatter creating interesting rhythms. The birds call back and forth answering each other, and the cicadas echo softly with their high pitched drone. As we sit enjoying nature, our mind wanders peacefully. As the droplets drip quietly around us, the sun slowly comes out from behind the clouds, and we feel that all is right with the world

Instrumentation:

Violin solo

1 piccolo, 1 flute, 1 oboe (egg shaker), 1 clarinet (egg shaker), 1 bassoon
1 French Horn, 2 trumpets, 1 trombone
2 percussion: perc 1 = marimba, temple blocks, egg shaker; perc 2 = sus. cymbal, 2 metal trash can lids, wood block
Solo String Quintet or Small String Section

Composer and Conductor, Diane Wittry, writes music that is “evocative and soulful” and colorized with “a large pallet of orchestral sounds and textures.” Named as one of the “30 Top Music Professionals” by Musical America nationally, Diane Wittry’s compositions have been performed and recorded by the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice, the Prague Symphony, the Allentown Symphony, PA, the Norwalk Symphony, CT, the Symphony of Southeast Texas, TX, the Garden State Philharmonic, NJ, the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra, WA, the Ridgewood Symphony ,NJ, the Nashua Chamber Orchestra, NH, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, NJ, and the Fox Valley Symphony, WI, among others.

Diane Wittry is the Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony, PA, and the Garden State Philharmonic, NJ. She is also a frequent guest conductor with orchestras across the United States including the Milwaukee Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, as well as orchestras in Japan, China, Canada, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, and Slovakia, among others.

Diane Wittry has served as an adjudicator for the Nissim Composer’s Competition in New York sponsored by ASCAP, and for the I-Park International Composer’s Competition. She has also been selected to participate in Composer Residency Programs in Connecticut and Italy. Other composition awards Diane Wittry has received include a CAP (Composers Assistant Grant) from the American Music Center, and a Haddon Career Grant award.

Performance materials are available through Subito Music.