Andrew Pease (b. 1979) got his start as a composer writing rock songs in high school, and he has written and arranged for wind bands and chamber groups ever since. In his day job, he serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Music at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, where he leads the Wind Ensemble and Brass Ensemble. He is also co-conductor of the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble, a community band also based in Oneonta. His guest conducting work has taken him to several states and the UK, and he has presented nationally and internationally on topics in the wind band field. He studied music and music education at Dartmouth College, Columbia University Teachers College, and Hofstra University. He completed doctoral studies in wind conducting at Arizona State University, studying with Gary Hill. His work there earned him the 2017 American Prize in Collegiate Wind Band Conducting. He started his career in New York City, where he was music director of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble and the community band Columbia Summer Winds (now Manhattan Summer Winds). Throughout his varied career, he has directed players of all ages and ability levels, from elementary beginning band to adult amateurs to professional ensembles. His latest compositions appear at his personal website, www.andypease.com. He also runs two websites dedicated to wind bands. Wind Band Literature (windliterature.org) is a repertoire resource for bands around the world. The Wind Band Symphony Archive (windsymphonies.org) is a dynamic archive of symphonies for wind band.

Me again, here to introduce my very first commissioned piece! Finally, someone has liked my previous music enough to ask for more. Here’s the story, all linked up:

When Wayne Magee asked me to write a piece based on sea shanties for his band at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), the first thing I learned about the school was its location: BUZZARDS BAY. I was sure that this name must have rung out in song from the mouths of sailors for centuries, and that I would have my pick of sea shanties all about it that I could set for band.

I was wrong.

Not only are there no sea shanties that focus on Buzzards Bay, but none of them that I could find so much as mention it. Only Jimmy Buffet seems to have paid it any musical attention. In fact, most shanties don’t really have anything to do with specific bodies of water at all, being more concerned with ship conditions (like that scoundrel of a skipper) and the kind of specific camaraderie required to successfully operate a large ship. Buzzards Bay turns out to be a historically important place (especially for the once-powerful whaling industry based across the bay in New Bedford), as well as a beautiful place known for its outstanding sailing conditions, and a federally protected estuary of importance. Also, the MMA mascot is the Buccaneers. So my title became clear as soon as I put the two together, fulfilling my wish for a spotlight on this body of water and its amazing name: Buccaneers of Buzzards Bay.

The shanties used here are broadly drawn from the Atlantic shanty tradition. It is often hard to say whether a shanty is more rooted in the European, American, or even Caribbean part of the Atlantic, but these all seem to have some history around Buzzards Bay. They are structured to mimic the voyage that every MMA student takes as part of its Sea Term each January and February, traveling by sea to the Caribbean or the Mediterranean over a period of weeks. We begin with “From Boston Harbor,” a nod to the Academy’s original home, brimming with excitement and anticipation of the voyage to come. Things get real during “Roll the Old Chariot Along,” a “stamp and go” shanty in which one leader (our saxophone soloist at bar 87) invents the lyrics and everyone else joins in, often to help coordinate some collective labor. It can be different every time! Our focus is almost thrown overboard during a strong storm, but the tune persists and prevails. We finish with “Leave Her Johnny,” another call-and-response shanty often sung at the end of long voyages. “Her” in this case is the ship, so the song entreats the sailors to leave and get on with their lives on land. They thus look forward to the home they miss and wistfully (or cynically) recall their time on the ship. This version leans more on the sentimental side.

These shanties are of murky origin at best. They have been molded into what they are by countless generations of sailors and folk singers, and they exist in endless versions. I have included just one excerpt of each below, focused on the lyrical content that informed this music.

Buccaneers of Buzzards Bay was commissioned by Wayne Magee for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Band, and it is dedicated to them with gratitude deeper than any ocean.

Andrew Pease
July 8, 2026

There are multiple performances of Buccaneers of Buzzards Bay coming up, but for now you’ll have to live with the NotePerformer version. You can also follow along in the score!

Here are some favorite versions of mine of each of the shanties.

“From Boston Harbor” is a jaunty tune that tells the story of a crew that bonds over how they really can’t stand their skipper, sung here by the US Navy Band Sea Chanters:


“Roll the Old Chariot Along” is essentially a work song. The chorus is always the same (repeating the title), but its verses are often made up on the spot, and could be anything you want. The possibilities are endless! Here’s one version led by David Coffin from a sea shanty festival:

“Leave Her, Johnny” has a similarly open-ended verse and title-based chorus, in this case with an added call-and-response component.

More to come after the premiere!