Carol Brittin Chambers (b. 1970) is a prolific American composer who writes for a variety of instrumental media, especially all levels of wind band. She also arranges marching band shows for high schools and drum corps around the USA. She is the owner of Aspenwood Music and the Composer in Residence at Texas Lutheran University. Before TLU, she studied music education (BA) at Texas Tech and trumpet performance (MM) at Northwestern. She also taught band in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio for many years. See more about her at Aspenwood Music, the Wind Repertory Project, Excelcia Music Publishing, and her TLU faculty page.
Chambers wrote Squirrel Chase in 2021 on a commission from the TMEA Region 9 Middle School Band. Of its origins, she says:
One of my favorite things is to watch the squirrels run around my backyard. They are constantly on the move, no matter what time of year, chasing each other and tumbling about. The canopy of live oak branches high overhead becomes the squirrels’ highway system, complete with merging lanes, tangled overpasses, and soaring ramps. Occasionally the squirrels will pause, but ever so briefly, and then they are back on the run.
Squirrel Chase is a fast-paced galop inspired by these squirrels. A galop is a lively dance, in duple meter, named after the running gait of a horse and made popular in the 1800s. Percussion parts are lively and add to the quirkiness of the piece. I hope you can envision the energy and humor of the squirrels, whether you’re performing or simply listening to Squirrel Chase!
Check out the official recording, and maybe even follow along in the score while you do it:
See more about this piece at J. W. Pepper, the Wind Repertory Project, and Excelcia Music, which also features a video of the composer explaining her piece. Meanwhile, here is one famous galop by Johann Strauss II that may have inspired Chambers (warning for gunfire percussion effects):
Bonus content: actual squirrels chasing each other: