Compositions

Featured Works by Ethan Gurwitz

RONCERTO (2020)

Solo Bass Trombone, Piano, Horn Quartet; 17’
Commissioned by Ron Wilkins
~
Ron Wilkins proposed I write this piece for him in early 2020 – before the pandemic. Unfortunately, soon after, Ron became sick with COVID-19, which put him in the hospital and within an inch of his life. This piece is not only a reflection of the pandemic, but a celebration of the life and recovery of Ron Wilkins – as he shows off the exceptionally rare, virtuosic talent that COVID-19 failed to steal from this world.

Video links
Roncerto performed live by the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" (March 14, 2025)
Ron's Introduction
Movement 1 - Big City
Movement 2 - Becca’s Big Bass Bone Blues Ballad
Movement 3 - The Unsettling Night
Ethan Gurwitz Interview

Tale of the Cottingley Fairies (2023)

Solo Soprano, Solo Flute, Wind Ensemble; 30'
Commissioned by the SMU Meadows Wind Ensemble
Text by Emma Bolton
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"To paraphrase my former band teacher, Manny Maldonado, sometimes our best work arises when we find ourselves at our most pressed.

Special thanks to Jared Beu, Bethany Jelinek, Katy Downs, and Dr. Jack Delaney, some of the most incredible and talented people I have ever worked with."

Video link
Perusal score

Life Speeds Up (2023)

Percussion Quartet; 6'
Written for Sandbox Percussion
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"These percussionists are crazy good. No wonder they're Grammy-nominated. Still blows my mind I got to meet and work with them. I heard them play Akiho Seven Pillars live at UT, and the first thing I did afterwards is call my sister and tell her, 'I think I just heard one of the best performances in my life.'"

Video link
Perusal score

Echo's Last Words (2022)

Solo Soprano, Chamber Winds; 12'
Text by Emma Bolton
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"Again, Bethany and Jared are amazing. This was a hell of lot of fun to put together."

Video link

Red Skies Fanfare (2021)

French Horn Octet; 4'
~
"You ever wake up in the morning in a panic?"

Video link

Roadside Flowers (2021)

French Horn Octet or String Octet; 5'
Commissioned by Horns United

Video link (String Octet) - (Piece starts at 21:16)
Audio link (Horn Octet)

from Day's Haste to Glistening Starlight (2022)

Wind Ensemble and Solo Saxophone; 12' 30"
Commissioned by the Dallas Metropolitan Winds, under the direction of Gregory Hustis

Audio link
Perusal score

When the Last Kaua’i o’o’ Sang (2021)

Chamber Wind Ensemble; 12' 30"

Video link

Ethan Gurwitz Complete Works List

2025

[Work in progress], for Wind Ensemble and Organ, Commissioned by the SMU Meadows Wind Ensemble; 25:00.
Roncerto, version for Bass Trombone and Wind Ensemble, Commissioned by and Dedicated to Ron Wilkins; 20:00. (Edited: Mar 2025.)

2024

Theme and Generations, for String Quartet; 6:00. Written for the 2024 EAMA Resident String Quartet.
Sea-Crosser (ים־איבערפֿ ָארער), Cantata for Baritone Solo, Clarinet Obligato, and Chamber Ensemble; 45:00. Text by Ethan Gurwitz based on passages from Memories of Two Generations - A Yiddish Life in Russia and Texas, by Alexander Ziskind Gurwitz. Yiddish Translation by Bernard Schwartz and Yakov Blum.
Three Miniatures, for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Piano; 6:00. Commissioned by Christine Le.

2023

do the mountains flow like rivers?, for Tuba Quartet; 6:00. Commissioned by Anthony Gonzalez.
Lament (from Tale of the Cottingley Fairies), Art Song for Soprano and Piano; 4:45.
Mourning Doves, for String Quartet; 6:00.
Tale of the Cottingley Fairies, for Wind Ensemble, Soprano Voice solo, and Flute Solo; 30:00. Commissioned by the SMU Meadows Wind Ensemble.
Life Speeds Up, for Percussion Quartet; 6:00. Written for Sandbox Percussion.

2022

for only a moment, for Orchestra; 8:30.
Familiar Ghosts, for Soprano Voice and Piano; 4:00.
Echo’s Last Words, for Wind Ensemble and Soprano Voice solo; 12:00.
from Day’s Haste to Glistening Starlight, for Wind Ensemble and Saxophone solo; 12:30. Commissioned by the Dallas Metropolitan Winds.

2021

A Tarot Reading, for Horn and piano; 11:00. Commissioned by Shea Kells-Murphy.
Roadside Flowers, for String Octet, 4:45.
Two Pieces for Eight Horns, (Red Skies Fanfare, Roadside Flowers); 9:15. Roadside Flowers commissioned by the Horns United.
Edo Mina!, for Tenor voice and Jazz Combo or Wind Ensemble; 3:00.
When the Last Kaua’i o’o’ Sang, for Wind Ensemble; 9:30.
The Dream, Electronic; 4:20.
A Journey Through Taiga, for Wind Ensemble and Low Strings; 7:00.

2020

Concerto for Bass Trombone ("Roncerto"), Three Scenes from Metropolis, for Bass Trombone, Horn or String Quartet, and Piano, Dedicated to Ron Wilkins; 14:00.
A Paragraph for Solo Flute; 3:00.
Liquid Memories, Electronic (Musique Concrete); 4:00.
Maladjusted Introductory Theme, Electronic; 0:21. Commissioned by Shara Jeyarajah for podcast Maladjusted.
In the Night, for Pierrot Ensemble; 4:00.
When the Last Kaua’i O’o’ Sang, for Orchestra; 9:30.
Cold Shock, for Orchestra; 2:55.
Three Themes from the Forest, for String Quartet; 7:35.

2019

The Horizon Beyond the Waves, for Flute and Euphonium; 4:35.
The Argument, for Harp and Guitar; 6:40.
Business as Usual, for Bassoon and Cello; 3:10.
Solstice, for Woodwind Quintet; 7:45.
Three Short Pieces for Piano; 3:30.
Terre Amère, for Trumpet, Viola, and Cello; 7:15.
Jade, for French Horn, Piano, and Cello; 5:00.

2018

Flout, for Harp and Violin; 3:40.
Two Characters, for Piano and Cello; 2:15.
A Solemn Melody for Trumpet; 1:00.