Kinetic Energy was commissioned by the University of Nebraska-Omaha Wind Ensemble, James Saker, Director. It received its premiere under a different title in 1991, was heavily revised, and received its second premiere in 1993. The motivating forces in writing Kinetic Energy were two­fold. First, I wanted to write a piece that was non-programmatic. Although the title may conjure up certain images, the piece is not intended to represent anything other than itself. The second goal was to write a piece that gathers intensity quickly at the start and doesn't “let go” of the listener for the rest of the work.