Buffalo Soldiers

17 minutes Wind Ensemble Full Orchestra

Buffalo Soldiers was commissioned by The West Point Academy for their 2002 Bicentennial celebration. Originally written for Symphonic Wind Ensemble, it was scored for full orchestra in 2010.

The score includes two optional narrations — one delivered by Abraham Lincoln and the other from a speech delivered by General Colin Powell to celebrate the unveiling of the Buffalo Soldier statue at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas in 1992. Of note, General Powell gave his personal endorsement to use his words.

About This Work

Buffalo Soldiers traces the journey of a 9th and 10th Cavalry recruit — from the emotional farewell with family, through the daily rhythms of garrison life marked by historic bugle calls, to the closing Retreat as the flag is lowered at day's end.

The work opens with an excerpt of a speech given by Abraham Lincoln three years before the start of the Civil War, and closes with words spoken by General Colin Powell at the dedication of the Buffalo Soldiers memorial at Fort Leavenworth in 1992 — bridging over a century of history in a single composition.