Hampton HS Band to Debut Piece by Pittsburgh-Area Composer

When the Hampton High School band takes the stage on Thursday evening, they will be the first ever ensemble to perform a new piece created by a Pittsburgh-area composer.

Smoke Screen, a fanfare for winds and percussion, was composed by Chad Heiny and dedicated to five bands - one of them being Hampton High - as a “thank you” for working with Heiny during the pandemic. The composer writes all the music for their marching band shows.

“It was an incredible display of camaraderie in many ways: fiscally and financially, creatively, and educationally for everyone,” said Heiny. “Everyone has gone through a lot this past year-plus, so I thought it would be important to have something extra special to look forward to as we turn the corner with the pandemic.”

Heiny has worked with Hampton since 2018, when he started writing for the percussion section. The next year, he began writing for the entire marching band.

There are some big differences in composing for concert band versus writing for marching band, says Heiny. For one, there are time constraints on marching shows; concert band compositions can be “as organic as needed.”

There is also more “nuance and delicacy” involved with the sound of concert band, whereas in marching band, each and every note needs to reach audience members, some sitting at the very top of the stadium.

But no matter the genre, Heiny enjoys the process of composing for and working with young musicians. It takes a lot of practice and diligence, but eventually, everything comes together.

“It’s like learning a new language at first: very hard to communicate, can just speak fragments, then after some hard work and great instruction, you are having a conversation with another person in this new language and don’t even think about it!” Heiny said.

Smoke Screen debuts at Hampton High School May 20 at 8:50 p.m. in the Hampton High School Auxiliary Gym - and Heiny will be in attendance to see his piece premiere.