My published works are available at Sheet Music Plus.
Original Compositions:
2020: The Year We Could Not Breathe (2021) (for solo flutist, or flute trio)
Agnus D.E.I. (2025) (flute quartet or choir, string quartet)
Evening Commute (2018) (flute quartet, flute choir, or string quartet)
Fantasy for Flute and Strings (2019) (solo flute with string orchestra)
First Flight (2026) flute choir)
Habanera (2019) (piano)
Origins Overture (2025) (flute choir)
Playing in the Currents (2023) (duet for 2 E-flat flutes, or any two like flutes)
Prayer (1986) (voice and guitar, or voice and piano)
Reminiscing (2019) (flute and piano)
Three Uneven Dances (2018) (flute choir)
Variations for Solo E-flat flute (2025)
Arrangements for flute choir:
Da Doo Ron Ron (“When He Walked Me Home”)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
ABBA: Mama Mia
Beethoven: Symphony 6 (movements available separately)
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Debussy: Beau Soir
Debussy: First Arabesque
Donizetti: Una Furtiva Lagrima, from “L’Elisir d’Amore”
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Elgar: Nimrod
Gabrieli: Canzon Duodecimi Toni a 10, Ch. 177
Gounod: Je Veux Vivre, from “Romeo et Juliette”
Grieg: March of the Dwarfs, from Lyric Pieces, Op. 54
Lehar: The Merry Widow Waltz
Mozart: Adagio from the Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 (alto flute solo and flute choir)
Mozart: Rondo from Horn Concerto, K. 495 (contrabass flute solo and flute choir)
Palestrina: Three Songs (flute quartet or choir)
Praetorius: Benedicamus Domino
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Rossini: The Thieving Magpie Overture
Saint-Saens: Mon Coeur S’Ouvre a ta Voix, from “Samson and Delilah”
Scarlatti, D.: Sonata in D Major, K.96
Tchaikovsky: Scherzo from Symphony No. 4
Vivaldi: Concerto in G, RV 532 (for two flutes and flute choir)
Arrangements for Flute Quartet
Birthday Variations a la Ravel, Rossini, Bizet, Mozart, and Beethoven (also for mixed wind quartet, or string quartet)
Leclair: Sonata in D Maj.
Palestrina: Three Songs (flute quartet or choir)
Other Arrangements
Bach: Prelude from the Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006 (solo flute)
Traditional: Auld Lang Syne (flute duet)
Details and Notes
Origins Overture
(August 2025) I came home from the NFA convention full of inspiration and with the theme for 2026 (“origins”) in mind. I started thinking about early flutes, Native American flutes in particular. After listening to some credible recordings, I wrote a simple 4 phrase melody that I hope is a respectful emulation of NA flute sound. I then took bits of that melody and expanded them into a piece for modern flute choir.
The piece opens with a land acknowledgement spoken over an open fifth in the low flutes, followed by my original melody scored for solo E-flat flute (C transcription available). The main theme is in an irregular meter (2-3-2-2). It is jubilant and celebratory. The play time is about 3:15.
All the while I was composing, I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be great if I could have this premiered by the Opening Flute Choir in 2026?” Not knowing how to propose such a thing, I emailed an official for the 2026 convention and asked. They said, “well, when we figure out who is conducting the opening choir, we’ll put you in touch and you can propose it to them directly.” A week or two later I was talking with my old friend, Phyllis Louke, about something else and then she added, “oh, by the way, did I tell you? The NFA has asked me to conduct the opening flute choir next year!” So I told her about this piece and sent it to her and she liked it and put it on the program. And that is how my dream came true. Premiered by the Opening Flute Orchestra at the NFA 2026 convention in Portland, Oregon. Sheet music is now available.
Agnus D.E.I.
(March 2025) I am watching the systematic dismantling of our federal government, and all the achievements of the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and Gay Rights movements of the past hundred years being erased too easily. I wanted to write something to mourn this. It is full of sadness and dismay. Don’t let the dissonance offend you. Dissonance is rich with texture and expression and longing and hope. I originally wrote it for flute quartet or flute choir. I have also made an arrangement for string quartet. Sheet music is available here: flute quartet or choir version, and string quartet version. Here is a video of the Desert Echoes Flute Project, directed by Christina Steffen, performing this piece at the National Flute Association annual convention, Aug. 7, 2026, Portland, Oregon.
Playing in the Currents
(2023) A duet for E-flat flutes, commissioned by Dr. Linda Bailey and premiered by Dr. Bailey and Christina Steffen at the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2025. In two movements: I. Seagulls (slow, meditative), II. Dolphins (playful irregular beat). Sheet music is available here: SheetMusicPlus.
2020: The Year We Could Not Breathe
(2021) for solo flutist and electronic loop (optional). This is an emotionally charged work, quite unlike my other compositions. It uses extended techniques and requires some improvisation from the performer. Inspired by George Floyd’s dying words, the global COVID 19 pandemic, and the wildfires that burned the entire western United States in 2020. It was premiered by Anthony Trionfo at the National Flute Association annual convention in August of 2023. See more detailed notes and a video of Anthony’s performance on my YouTube channel. Sheet music is available at Sheet Music Plus.
This original solo version includes optional use of electronic loop. I later thought, what if someone doesn’t have that technology but does have a couple of friends? And thus a trio version was born. The trio was premiered by Alexis Evers, Robert Wakeley and Savannah Gentry on April 5, 2025 at the Greater Portland Flute Society annual Flute Fair. The same performers also presented the piece at the National Flute Association convention, Aug. 6, 2026 in Portland, OR. Below is that performance. Sheet music for the trio is available here.
Fantasy for Flute and Strings
(2019) Exuberant, playful. For 5-part string orchestra and solo flute. Run time 16min. (each movement is a little over 5 mins). Here are videos of me performing Fantasy with my computer playing the string parts (recorded in April 2020):
Mvt 1: Busy Day
Mvt 2: Lullabye
Mvt 3: Wild Dreams
Reminiscing
(2019) for flute and piano. I wrote this sweet little piece to encourage my mother to stretch her 90-year old fingers. It worked. When I handed it to her she said “.. well, I don’t know…” but she immediately took it to the piano and started picking it out. We performed it together at her 90th birthday celebration in September 2019. She was actually born in November but she decided if the whole family was gathering we should do it when the weather was nice. Below is a computer-generated audio. Sheet music available here: Sheet Music Plus.
Habanera
(2019) for piano solo. Another little piece I wrote for Mom. Available at Sheet Music Plus.
Evening Commute
(2018) This piece began as a tune in my head while I was on the bus on the way home from work one evening, hence the title. I first wrote it as a flute quartet and then arranged it for flute choir. The movements are: “Traffic”, “Watch for Bicycles”, “Yield to Pedestrians”, and “Home Soon”. The piece is playful, rhythmically challenging, a little humorous, and completely joyful. The first movement is comprised of alternating fast and slow sections. Our bicyclist in the 2nd movement has two encounters: a near-miss accident, and a red light, before arriving home and hopping off. In the 3rd movement, aptly marked “Andante” (“walking” in Italian), our pedestrian is joined by others and turns a few corners, harmonically speaking. The final movement is in an irregular upbeat meter and includes mini-cadenzas for all four voices. Sheet music is available at Sheet Music Plus. You can listen to the entire piece here:
Three Uneven Dances
(2018) For flute choir: p, 3C, A, B, contra. This work consists of three short movements in irregular meters. The contrabass part is not optional but may be played on a regular bass flute if no contra is available.
The first movement, “Stomp” is in 9/8, conducted in 4: (initially 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 changing to 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 halfway through) with a heavy pulse and a bluesy chord progression in E minor. The second movement, “Waltz” is in 3 (3 + 3 + 2) with a momentary straight 3 in the middle section. This sweet little melody in G major is a bright contrast to the aggressive first movement. The final movement, “Reeling” is in 5/8 (2 + 3) with a brief detour to 2/4 near the end, in E major. It is a joyous dizzy layering of twirling notes in the upper voices against a rising grounded melody in the lower voices. Each movement is 2 ½ to 3 minutes in length. Sheet music available at Sheet Music Plus.
Prayer
Originally written in 1986 for voice and guitar (guitar lead sheet available here). I have also published it for voice and piano, available here. Below is a recording made in 2023 with vocal, keyboard, bass and drums. Many thanks to LaRhonda Steele (vocal), Mark Steele (piano), Rob Busey (bass), Johnny Riley (drums), and Nick the Greek (engineer) for this recording.
The Tokens The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Here is a “COVID Shutdown video” by the Rose City Flute Choir. Sheet music is available here.
Lehar: The Merry Widow Waltz. During the COVID shutdown, I learned a few video editing skills and was able to make this video with the Rose City Flute Choir. Sheet music is available here.
Birthday Variations a la Ravel, Rossini, Bizet, Mozart, and Beethoven, for flute quartet. Also available for mixed wind quartet, and string quartet. Here’s the flute quartet version:
Traditional: Auld Lang Syne, for two flutes. Sheet music is available here.
Adrian Dee, flutist, composer 