Julie Giroux (b. 1961) is a prolific 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 Mystery on Mena Mountain in 1985 based on the story of an Arkansas folk tale. She provides these program notes on her website:
This is a programmatic piece based on the legend told in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. The legend is based on the disappearance in 1940 of two children who had heard old stories, and went to the mountain to meet the angels believed to live in the clouds that hang above Mena Mountain.
“According to that legend, the children, having heard old stories, set out to meet the angels, who were believed to live in the clouds that hang in the sky above Mena Mountain. As the work opens, the sun is rising over the mountain top with the main theme representing the power of the mountain itself. The children begin their climb up the mountain. They continue climbing and begin to tire just as they reach the cloud line. The two wander through the foggy morning air and just as they are about to turn back, the mist clears and before them stand 200 white-robed angels, singing and playing golden instruments. The angels call out, entreating the children to join them. As the children walk on the clouds toward the host, a jeweled crown is placed on each child’s head, then they accompany the angels up to heaven. As the piece closes, the clouds rise and float slowly out of sight leaving Mena Mountain as it was before.”
Here it is in performance:
There’s a lot more to see about this piece! For the piece itself, visit Giroux’s website, Southern Music, the Wind Repertory Project, J. W. Pepper, and Hal Leonard. Julie Giroux has a presence on Wikipedia, Musica Propria, the Wind Repertory Project, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, the American Band College, Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, WKAR, and New Music USA (this one is essentially a podcast interview), to name a few. As for Mena Mountain, it now hosts a resort. More interesting is this collection of Mena-area legends.