Ghost Garden (Ensemble version) by Adam Hopper

Driving through many major American cities, it’s hard not to notice the plethora of vacant and abandoned lots. Where once stood proud businesses, lavish homes, or civic buildings, there is now little more than a blank, grassy plot of land. Though the blank space on the canvas of the cityscape can be profoundly sad, something amazing happens within these empty spaces. Left alone, life swells forth, and these vacant lots start to produce trees, flowers, and grass. Many people have started referring to such lots as Ghost Gardens. In this piece, you can hear where the lot once held a vibrant and exciting tone, only to slowly fade away and change. Through a series of transitional themes, the main idea reforms and comes back as the piece concludes, thus depicting the beauty of the land as it is re-imagined.

This is a percussion ensemble expansion of Hopper’s ever-popular marimba solo. The ensemble perfectly aligns with the original solo so that anyone who has learned it can simply add seven ensemble members and perform on a percussion ensemble concert.