Pulse (2026)

for orchestra [3(1.2.pic) 3(1.2.eh) 3(1.2.bcl) 3(1.2.cbsn) – 4 3 3 1 – timp – perc(3)* – pno – 2hp – str]

Duration: 8’

Premiere: July 18, 2026 @ Koerner Hall, Toronto, ON

Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser (conductor), National Youth Orchestra of Canada

Commissioned by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada as part of the 2026 NYO Canada/SOCAN Composer Mentorship Program.

*Percussion Requirements

1 = Tambourine, Snare Drum, Glockenspiel, Wood Block (High)

2 = Bass Drum, Vibraphone, 2 Cowbells (Low & High)

3 = Triangle, Wood Block (High), Suspended Cymbal, Whip, Castanets, Tam-Tam

Programme Note:

When beginning this piece for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO), I found myself drawn to the idea of pulse, not only as a musical phenomenon, but also as a sort of communal force. We often speak of a pulse as something central and vital: it’s the pulse of a group, a place, a moment. It’s something active and shared, yet often intangible — you always have a sense that it’s there, even if you can’t necessarily see or hear it.

Throughout the piece, this pulse acts as a connective thread, weaving together a wide array of textures and moods as the music continuously shifts, stretches, and bends around a shared rhythmic energy. At some points, it’s felt explicitly and pushes directly to the foreground of the music. Elsewhere, it’s more subdued, ephemeral, trembling and murmuring beneath the surface. Even as the musical landscape changes, some remnants of the pulse remain, connecting one moment to the next as the music evolves.

Pulse was commissioned by The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO) as part of the 2026 NYO Canada/SOCAN Foundation Composer Mentorship Program.