December Dance was commissioned by Matthew George and the University of St. Thomas Wind Ensemble and premiered by that group on December 8, 2005. It is the fourth commission I have received from Dr. George and therefore represents the continuation of a significant musical relationship for me. Dr. George and I have grown to be close friends and I have enormous respect for all that he has done as a conductor, teacher, and administrator with the program at the University of St. Thomas.

Matt’s only request of me with this piece was that I write something unlike the pieces that I had written for him before. Since those had either been highly emotional and dramatic works, or somewhat esoteric works, I decided that this one should be energetic, fun, and happy, reflecting my own personal state of mind at the time.