Julie Giroux (b. 1961) is a composer in many media who has made her mark especially in the wind band realm. A Massachusetts native who grew up in Arizona and Louisiana, Giroux spent the early part of her career arranging and orchestrating music for film and television, as well as for several pop stars in Los Angeles. Since about 1997, she has focused her creative energies on original compositions. She has found broad interest in her work around the world, and she has been commissioned to write new music by ensembles of all levels. Most of her works are published by Musica Propria. Her website is a hub for her creative activities.

Giroux wrote March of the Sun-Dried Tomatoes in 2000. She writes about its origin in the score:

Originally I composed this march so I could perform one with the many clinic bands that I conduct. There is never enough time for rehearsal, and working up a march to the level it needs to be takes too long, as you well know. So I wrote this piece as an easier march, that could be attained in a short amount of time. Much to my surprise, it has turned out to be a hands down crowd favorite and goes extremely well in a concert that is on the heavy side and perfect for Spring, encores and outdoor concerts.

She also provides a program note:

This is the woeful tale of a day in the kitchen with a recipe that called for, among other things, sun-dried tomatoes and red wine. I like to think of myself as a cook, though I cannot convince many others of that fact, but had not encountered sun-dried tomatoes before. I had plenty of tomatoes growing in my little garden, and as hot as it was, there were a few on the vine that were almost dried already due to a little neglect on my part. Needless to say, after baking them to a crisp, which didn’t work, and microwaving them into oblivion, another disaster, the recipe was a complete failure and by the end of the day, a salami sandwich and a pickle was my fare. I know now you can buy sun-dried tomatoes in the store, but I will never partake of that particular recipe again.

Here is a live performance that hams it up nicely:

See more about the piece at Musica Propria, the Wind Repertory Project, and Giroux’s website.

Here’s how you make sun dried tomatoes, explained in 30 seconds (although it takes several days):