Searching for Peace for Solo Horn

Searching for Peace

A Call to End Senseless Violence for Solo Horn

Composed September 2025

Duration: approximately 6 minutes

Searching for Peace is a work for unaccompanied horn shaped by grief, anger, exhaustion, and the continuing hope for peace in a world repeatedly affected by senseless violence.

Aggressive and volatile gestures contrast with lyrical, uplifting, and at times heroic material. These musical ideas interrupt and challenge one another throughout the work, reflecting the conflict between anguish and the desire to move beyond it. The fully realized peace melody is withheld until the final moments, presenting peace as something fragile and hard-won rather than simple or guaranteed.

The horn serves as both witness and voice. Dynamics and tempos reflect the composer’s interpretation but are intended as guides, allowing performers to bring their own experiences and sense of freedom to the music.

Written for the advanced horn player, Searching for Peace was premiered by Jonathan Snyder at the 2026 Southwest Horn Workshop.

Digital edition includes:

• Complete solo horn score
• Performance and program notes
• PDF download
• Approximately six minutes in duration