I first met Jennet Ingle in an elevator while checking out of a hotel for the 2022 International Double Reed Society conference in Boulder, Colorado. We exchanged business cards, a few short sentences, and a smile. After the conference was over, I set up a Zoom call with Jennet, recognizing that we had not fully had the chance to talk with one another, and in that Zoom call, we realized who we had met in each other, as well as walking out with the first of several successful projects and collaborations: our intermediate concert etude book Epiphanies.
Within each conversation I have with Jennet, we have a topic but get easily distracted, making points and counterpoints, tangents effortlessly unfurling with enthusiasm, laughter, and profound discovery. I remember the first time Jennet had wrapped up one of our conversations with the simple preamble from which I took the title and inspiration for her concerto: "All This to Say..."
All This to Say is more than a concerto, but a celebration of the closest relationship I have with any performer in the world in Jennet Ingle. She is fearless, passionate, honest, and, in a lot of ways, a huge role model for me. She and I share many things: an obsession with process, a healthy dose of sarcasm, a willingness to experiment, and a thirst for knowledge. This concerto is structured in three movements that reflect the envelope of a conversation with Jennet: first, the topic, shrouded in uncertainty; second, the exhilarating tangent; and third, the summary of the conversation itself, finally ending on a punctuating, profound exclamation. All This to Say is metacommentary turned music, a collaborative process immortalized, and the cumulation of every emotion I have felt because of my dear friend and collaborator Jennet Ingle.
Chamber orchestra instrumentation:
Flute 1
Flute 2 (doubles piccolo)
Clarinet 1 in Bb/A
Bass Clarinet
Horn in F 1
Horn in F 2
Trumpet in C
Timpani
Harp
Solo Oboe
Strings (at least 4|4|4|2|2)
All This To Say will be premiered on January 11, 2026 by Jennet Ingle and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana, USA. All This to Say will be made available at Trevco Music after its premiere. Until then, enjoy a preview of the third movement below.