Welcome Home

Dedicated to the Poudre High School Wind Ensemble

Program Note:

I had the wonderful opportunity to be a composer for the 2024 Spring Concert of Poudre High School in Fort Collins, CO in my junior year there. Welcome Home is a story in three parts, partly inspired by the second home that this school brought to my life, the home that I’ve found through Jesus Christ, as well as the home that I found in this tight-knit, accepting band program. For someone who’s moved around a lot growing up, finding a place where you feel welcomed and safe can prove difficult. This piece for band tells the narrative of a person given the chance to return to their home after a long time away and the confused excitement they get. It’s been so long since they’ve been there, and the piece is excited but melancholy to match this feeling. The orchestration takes a darker turn as this person already on their journey back reconsiders. They wonder if they would be accepted after so long. Finally, they approach the door and the piece becomes extremely hesitant and vulnerable. Everything tells them they shouldn’t go through this door, but they overcome this fear. The piece lifts brighter as memories return, and a the piece culminates to a big ending where they are surrounded by warmth and excitement and a “Welcome Home.” – Jackson Dean