Composers Notes

Fanfare For Life was commissioned by AT&T and composed as a direct result of the gang violence in Chicago during the summer of 1994.
A 14-year-old girl, Shavon Dean, was shot and killed by 11-year-old gang member Robert Sandifer. Robert was then hunted down and killed by two members of his gang, a 14-year-old boy and his 16-year-old brother. Robert was shot twice in the head. That same summer 5-year-old Eric Morse was dropped to his death from the 14th floor of a public housing high-rise by a 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy, because Eric would not steal candy for them.


With Fanfare For Life, the beauty of life is presented with an orchestra fanfare. In the second part the lives of these children are symbolized by two distinct pentatonic melodies. These melodies are cut short as were the young lives that never developed. The third part (brass tutti) is a variation of the two "child" melodies, symbolizing the families that now only have memories of those lost lives. The last part is a repeat of the initial fanfare again emphasizing the beauty of life and the need to cherish it.

Fanfare For Life is dedicated to the memories of Shavon Dean, Robert Sandifer, and Eric Morse. epared by Carol Williams and Kimo Williams