Wooden Dimes Ballet

Wooden Dimes
a ballet score by James M. Stephenson

Available as full length ballet, or suite for wind ensemble, full orchestra, or chamber orchestra

Originally commissioned by the San Francisco Ballet. Martin West, conductor. Dani Rowe, choreographer.

Wind Ensemble version commissioned and premiered by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, Col. Jason K. Fettig, director
(To be premiered on 2022-23)

— from Col. Jason Fettig, regarding Wooden Dimes: “James Stephenson’s suite from his ballet “Wooden Dimes” is an incredibly inventive and totally unique addition to the wind ensemble repertoire. Jim has brilliantly captured the musical essence of the era he is depicting in his ballet, with gorgeous songs without words and a fantastic collection of colorful and evocative dances. But this music runs much deeper than its creative homage to a bygone musical style. Leitmotifs from the ballet’s characters and story are woven throughout the suite and cleverly morphed and developed as the tale evolves; the visceral emotion of the music is so palpable that it stands powerfully on its own away from choreography of the original ballet. And as always, Jim’s mastery of orchestration and impressive ability to find new colors and textures within the wind ensemble shines through in every measure of this wonderful new work.”

duration: 24 minutes
instrumentation (wind ensemble version):

piccolo, *flute 1-2 (flute 2: fl/alto flute), oboe, Eb clarinet, Bb clarinet 1-3, bass clarinet bassoon 1-2, saxophone quartet: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone
french horn 1-2, C trumpet 1-2, trombone 1-2, bass trombone, euphonium, tuba timpani (+ crotales)
percussion (2 players) instruments needed:
perc. 1: Mallets: (5-octave) marimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel perc: tambourine, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, sus. cymbal
perc. 2: Mallets: (5-octave) marimba, crotales, xylophone, glockenspiel
perc: cymb. a2, snare drum, floor tom, splash cymb., sus. cymb., triangle, china cymb., bass drum
harp
contrabass (1 player, or 2)

The story of Betty Fine and Robert Alder

“Don’t take any wooden dimes” – a saying used a lot in the 1920s, meaning: “Don’t be naive or don’t be fooled.”

Betty and Robert have a love that they think they know and they think will be forever,
but situations, circumstance and their evolution as people inevitably change
their relationship and therefore their love, and it ends up being nothing like they predicted.

Choreographed by Danielle Rowe.

This Ballet for wind ensemble was commissioned at the specific request from Col. Jason Fettig of
“The President’s Own” US Marine Band. While some of the order of the movements from the
(San Francisco Ballet) original were shifted to accommodate a new arc for this slightly shorter version, the storyline of the original remains in tact.