Joy of Love & Life is one of the most unique and fulfilling projects I have had the honor of working on. When I was approached by the San Luis Obispo County Band Directors Association about writing a piece in memory of their friend and fellow director, Wayne Gamble, I was immediately struck with the gravity that this piece would hold. Writing a piece in memory of someone is always an impossible task; there are not enough notes one can write to adequately represent the human spirit.

While I did not know Wayne personally, we shared a mutual friend in Brynn Belyea. Brynn gave me terrific insight into Wayne’s life, his teaching career, the impact he had on his students, and his abundance of love for music and life. The more people I talked to, the more I heard variations on the same statement that Wayne was one of the most optimistic and joyful people you’d ever meet. One former student wrote that Wayne created, “a sense of family, warmth, home, and purpose in the band room.” In reading this, I immediately knew this work had to reflect both his unbridled joy and the warmth of community that he created with his students.

Wayne was also a lover of all forms of music. He made it a point every year to attend music festivals that showcased an eclectic variety of styles and genres. Additionally, he performed in a local band which performed original songs heavily influenced by bluegrass, rock, and country. It’s these specific influences that ultimately worked their way into this piece in celebration of Wayne’s life.

The opening is a lively reel that fuses traditional bluegrass textures with traditional symphonic elements. Beginning with a simple statement of the main theme, the music grows into a lively celebration that goes through many twists and turns around the ensemble. The middle section serves as a depiction of the beautiful San Luis Obispo landscape and the warmth of Wayne’s bandroom. I chose to use a variety of solos in this section to represent voices of individual students musically expressing their gratitude for Wayne’s impact. The themes of the slow section are loosely based on prior themes, but are aimed to reflect their own unique personalities and characters. The ending is a return of the style and themes from the beginning, however growing in speed and intensity in a final burst of joy.

Joy of Love & Life was commissioned by the San Luis Obispo County Band Directors Association and premiered at the 2025 Honor Band festival on the campus of California Polytechnic State University. It is dedicated to the life and memory of Wayne Gamble.