Nowhere to hide

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Alice Jones (b. 1982)

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Nowhere to hide

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for horn

Copyright 2021 Alice Jones | All rights reserved.

Published by tinyefforts (ASCAP)

www.alicehjones.com Please notify Alice Jones of all performances

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Nowhere to hide (2021) for French horn

Duration 2 minutes

Commissioned by Ronald Dawe for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

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Composed for, and dedicated to, Kelsey Bentley with gratitude and admiration

Program note

This piece is inspired by a series of conversations I had with Kelsey Bentley, the Fourth Horn of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, in January and February 2021, whose vivacity, infectious excitement, and fearlessness are infused throughout the work. I was drawn to the idea that in a solo work—not just a concerto but a piece in which the player is as alone as anyone can be on a stage—there’s nowhere to hide. That fact can lead us to either cower, doing our best to hide and protect ourselves, or to embrace the power of where we find ourselves. Exploring the feeling of putting oneself out there, taking a stand, and being bold—which are all part of the ongoing civil rights discourse—made this feel like the right piece, right now.

The work travels through the journey of my conversation with Kelsey. It’s a pathway I often walk when I’m trying to come to terms with a new, scary idea, turning it over in my mind, coming at it from as many ways as I can imagine. The work opens with a note that gives the player nowhere to hide, an uncomfortable and insistent written high A that many horn players would rather avoid, rather than be forced to play over and over. The contour and pitches of the opening fanfare lurk throughout the entire work, transforming into more lyrical and calmer gestures in all registers of the instrument, playing with the puzzle of the original idea in new ways. This journey leads to the groove of a breakthrough, the place where new ideas become yours, where you love them for what they’ve shown you about yourself, and where you need no outside validation to enjoy them. That feeling of confidently steering into uncharted territory drives the fun, playfulness, and continuous build of the second half of the piece. I am grateful to Kelsey for her artistry, imagination, and enthusiasm throughout the compositional process, as well as to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra for including me in their One by One project.

Performance indications

Tempo markings throughout are a suggested guideline, and each phrase in the first half of the piece (between breath marks) can be treated as an improvisatory gesture that pushes and pulls within its shape. Fermatas indicate letting the momentum of the phrase settle before moving on; they do not need to be long. Breath marks indicate light caesuras at the end of each phrase.

In the closing section (mm. 28-end), tenuto marks followed by staccato marks are a jazz-inspired “doo-dat” combination, with notes marked tenuto being heavier or played leaning into the sound, and notes marked staccato being played in a lighter part of the sound.

About the composer Alice Jones (b. 1982) is a Texas-raised, Brooklyn-based listener, flutist, teacher, and dog lover. alicehjones.com

To Kelsey Bentley

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Nowhere to hide for horn

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