Steppin’ Up
For
Jazz Ensemble
Christina Rusnak
©Copyright 2025 Christina Rusnak
Cover photo credit: Peshkov, Russia
September 11, 2018
Rusnak Music Press
Steppin’ Up
Duration ~ 6:30
Notes:
We strive – we push ourselves further than we think we can reach. When we do, we can find ourselves not at a point that is expected, but in a place that is unexpected – a place of both exhilaration and fatigue; a place of inspiration and discovery. Steppin’ Up is a lighthearted piece that also parallels that journey.
Christina Rusnak
2025
Proposed Instrumentation:
Suitable for 12-tet
Trumpet –2
Trombone -2 (or one trb & one horn)
Alto Saxophone - 2 Dbl Flute
Tenor Saxophone - 2
Baritone Saxophone
Drums
Piano
Acoustic Bass
17 pc Big Band
Trumpet – 4
Trombone -4
Alto Saxophone - 2 Dbl Flute
Tenor Saxophone - 2
Baritone Saxophone
Drums
Piano
Guitar
Acoustic Bass
Performance Notes:
With the exception of the drum part, the score is fully notated. It can be either performed as written, or the performers are free to arrange the piece to integrate their own style and solos. Currently, the following solos are designated:
• Alto/Tenor Sax – Solo duet: mm 121 – 142
• The Drum part will be added by performing ensemble; mm 143-152 designed as solo.
• Piano - mm 215-221
• Guitar optional, and could be added by ensemble
Stepping Up
Dbl
Solo / Ensemble Brass
Call for Justice Saxophone Quartet
Fanfare for Justice Horn in F Solo
Fanfare for Justice Horn Quartet
Going Rogue Horn in F, Trumpet, Trombone
Jazz (College / Professional)
Chat Big Band (17 piece Big Band)
Chill 10-tet
Highline 10-tet
Flexible Instrumentation
Alaudidae
Fanfare for Brass
Hyas Tyee Temwata
The Coast in Winter
Small Organisms
Flexible Winds
Flexible Brass
Flexible Winds
Flexible Winds
Flexible Winds
CHRISTINA RUSNAK
Passionate about composing about the human experience, composer Christina Rusnak works at the intersection of place, nature, culture, history and art to integrate context into her music from the world around her. A storyteller, she seeks to convey something meaningful about the human experience to both the audience and performers.
An award-winning freelance composer living in the Pacific Northwest, Ms. Rusnak composes for diverse instrumentations with lyrical lines and organic rhythms and textures. Her repertoire ranges from elementary to professional levels and includes chamber ensemble, orchestra, wind band, choral works and solo works, as well as jazz, electro-acoustic works, and film. Rusnak’s work has been commissioned and/or performed by talented musicians across the country and internationally
An avid hiker, much of Ms. Rusnak’s work focuses on cultural geography and environmental history. She has worked with the U.S. Forest Service, several National and State Parks and Monuments, and environmental agencies to sonically explore and commemorate many of our natural and cultural treasures. She is inspired by cultural and social issue, and has composed many diverse works relevant to the 21st century.
Recent awards and honors include the 2023 Bronze Global Music Award for Voices of the Land; 2024 American Prize 2nd Place Orchestra for The South Pass, a finalist for FREE LAND, and a 2025 finalist for the American Prize for Orchestra for Time After All.
An advocate for New Music, Rusnak currently serves as president of the International Alliance for Women in Music Her essays on music and advocacy can be found on New Music Box, LandscapeMusic.org, and more. Her works are available from Amazon, Naxos and Parma Recordings. Scores are available through her website http://christinarusnak.com and distributors and can be viewed via ISSUU
http://christinarusnak.com
