Shine Time
Instrumentation:
2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, 3 Percussion, Strings
Percussion 1: Crotales, Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Vibraphone
Percussion 2: Triangle, Tambourine, Suspended Cymbal, Sizzle Cymbal
Percussion 3: Bass Drum, Tam-tam
Subsequent performances:
- South Bend Symphony Orchestra; Alastair Willis conducting - January 31, 2026
- Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra; Stefan Sanders conducting - February 28, 2026
- Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra; Héctor Guzmán conducting - March 7, 2026
Program Notes
Shine Time was commissioned by the Plano Symphony Orchestra, with generous support from Charles and Tammy Miller, in honor of music director Héctor Guzmán and his 41 fruitful seasons with the orchestra. In composing this work, I sought to create a showpiece that celebrates the unique chemistry that Maestro Guzmán and the orchestra have, shows off the virtuosity of the PSO, and even pay tribute to the Maestro himself.
Program note (by Robert Xavier Rodriguez):
The title refers to the saying, “Time to shine,” meaning a moment to show off a skill or ability. Here, Mason shines as a composer, and he gives the instruments of the orchestra places to shine in three continuous sections. The work opens with bustling, energetic music that recalls the Shrovetide festival scene from the opening of Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka. There are also Americana echoes of Copland and John Adams as the energy gradually winds down, then builds to its first climax. Midpoint, the music turns serious and quietly meditative. There is effective contrapuntal interplay in the winds as the flow continues to move assuredly forward. Then, at the end, the mood of the opening returns. The excitement grows with jazzy Bernstein sass, and there is a flashy show-biz finish, with “the big tune” in long notes as the rest of the orchestra explodes with festive figuration.
