PROGRAM NOTE

With Courage Unyielding was created from the kind of friendship bonded over years of shared work, shared music, and shared respect for each other’s purpose and experience. As members of the Georgia State Band community, many of us have had the honor to watch Professor T. Devin Reid lead with generosity, integrity, and a boundless love for human connection through music. When the Brothers of the Nu Alpha Chapter sought to find a way to celebrate his first decade of leadership, one idea emerged naturally: to celebrate him in the language he has given so much to – music. 

When former chapter president Najja Hughey first approached me about composing this piece, he talked about wanting it to carry the same emotional resonance as The American President, a chorale central to the GSU Panther Band’s history, so I originally conceived the piece as a short, hymn-like chorale to be played as a warm-up chorale for the Panther Basketball Band. As the conversation around what the purpose of this piece would be continued, it quickly evolved into a full-length fanfare for wind band whose main theme - adapted from the original chorale - unfolds into a soaring melodic line intended to capture Devin’s passion, humor, and heart.

My hope for this piece is for it to serve not only as a token of appreciation for Devin’s dedication to Georgia State University but to celebrate the community he has fostered and the lives he has changed through artistry, mentorship, and unwavering courage. 

- program note by Jonathan P. Kochik