Three Washington Statues - III Duke Ellington Encore

Philip Sparke’s Three Washington Statues was commissioned for the inaugural President’s Cup Concert Band Festival; an invitation only, adjudicated festival for high school wind ensembles. The work was premiered at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas, VA, on April 10, 2015.
Composer, pianist and bandleader Duke Ellington was born in Washington, DC, in 1899. Ellington’s music career began at the legendary Howard Theatre, located in the northern suburbs of the city. Opening in 1910, the theatre has had a checkered history. It closed in 1970 and reopened in 1973, only to close again seven years later. Following a $29-million restoration, it reopened again in 2012, when the elaborate Zachary Oxman statue of Ellington, entitled “Encore,” was erected outside the theater. This movement provides a taste of the style, flare, and power that made Ellington one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century

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