De Alba - Boundless for Unaccompanied Clarinet

Boundless by Francisco Javier de Alba for Solo B-Flat Clarinet. This piece was commissioned by Sandra Mosteller to celebrate the retirement of Dr. Robert Spring. When talking to Sandra about her relationship with Bob, his ability to see the potential in his students and his knack for drawing it out of all of us kept popping up in our conversation. Being one of his former students myself, I definitely experienced his skill for making his students their best version. Even when we can’t see past the boundaries we set up in our minds, Bob has a way of breaking us out of our cage and setting our creativity, musicality, and confidence free. The piece starts out with a slow singing melody that never quite reaches where it wants to go; in a sense, representing us before Bob. It is followed by a whimsical faster section that tries to capture the sometimes-comical aspects of joining Bob’s studio. As the faster section develops, the piece ends with the melody finally reaching its resolution, but in a different key to signify an open end to the piece; as if to say “Once a student of Bob, always a student of Bob.” Thank you, Sandra, for asking me to write this piece, and thank you, Bob, for always encouraging us, helping us, and making our lives boundless!