"October" began at a restaurant in Chicago, when I was first introduced to Brian Anderson. Brian, a high school band director from Fremont, Nebraska, knew my work and wanted to commission me, but couldn't find the finances. If I remember correctly I didn't immediately hear back from him, and I just assumed the gig would never materialize.

About a year later I get this phone call from him and he says that he has put together a commissioning consortium of 30 high school bands from Nebraska. 30 ba...