They Are All Gone (2023) - ca. 10'

alto saxophone, cello, percussion, and marimba

Premiere performance
Phil Black (saxophone), Hank Taylor (cello), Connor Viets (percussion and marimba), Corey Chang (conductor) at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, IN (April 11, 2023)

Additional performances
- Chamber Project St. Louis at Webster University in St. Louis, MO (March 24, 2024)

- Andrea Lee (alto saxophone), Dean Wibe (cello), Miles Bohlman (percussion), Olivia Sletteland (marimba) at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO (April 20, 2024)
* video above

Program Note
Who knew a teeny-tiny fuzz-ball could kill millions of people? The fuzz ball put the world on hold. It put everyone in quarantine and zoomed its way from person to person. Such an eerie feeling it was to drive on empty highway streets, stand at least 6 feet away, and be limited to one person per family in a grocery store. They Are All Gone tells the story of COVID. The piece starts with a kick drum solo, mimicking a steady heartbeat, and leads into a flowing, eerie stage of warning. The heartbeat quickens into worry. Quickly, the concern escalates into full-blown panic, with a recurring COVID, or “monster” motif screaming through the chaos. The whirlwind dies down into a heartbeat, slower than before, which spills into a section of mourning, still attached to the monster motif. As the haunting melodies of the saxophone and cello seamlessly intertwine and gradually fade away, all that remains is the slowing of the heartbeat. The piece ends with the soft ring of the chime.

Although life has regained most of its normality, COVID's effects on each of us will never leave. Remembering the grief the entire world felt as millions passed away from this virus is vital. Without the loss of life, we cannot fully understand how blessed we are to have a life to live.

This piece is dedicated to all who have died from COVID, families of those who have died from COVID, and the rest of us, who have experienced it.

Reviews
Judges' comments from the International Young Composers Competition at the Community Music School of Webster University:

“a very fine piece"
“…melodic writing is spot on”
“Hannah wields music as an emotional language”
“this has got to be one of the better COVID tribute-pieces I've heard!”

Awards and Recognition
- Classic 107.3 FM Interview Aired with Kathy Lawton Brown (March 20, 2024)

- University of Missouri Creating Original Music Project Competition, awarded 3rd place in the high school notated music category (Winter 2024)

- International Young Composers Competition at the Community Music School of Webster University, winner (Winter 2024)