• PDF Full Score
  11 x 17 inches

• PDF Parts: Piccolo, Flute 1, Flute 2, Flute 3/Picc, Oboe 1, Oboe 2, Oboe 3, English Horn, Clarinet 1, Clarinet 2, Clarinet 3, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon 1, Bassoon 2, Bassoon 3, Contrabassoon, Horn 1, Horn 2, Horn 3, Horn 4, Horn 5, Horn 6, Trumpet 1/Picc, Trumpet 2, Trumpet 3, Trumpet 4, Trombone 1, Trombone 2, Bass Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Harp 1, Harp 2, Celesta, Organ, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass
  9 x 12 inches

This work was created in collaboration with the Spartanburg Philharmonic and the Spartanburg County Library to celebrate the opening of the first planetarium in Spartanburg. As part of the process, the Philharmonic held a creative writing competition open to all K-12 students attending Spartanburg County schools. Students submitted poems and short stories that were inspired by the moons: Triton, Metis, Io, Titan, and Phobos & Deimos. They were asked to incorporate aspects of both the celestial body orbiting in space as well as the moon’s mythological namesake.

The five winning pieces served as inspiration for Peter B. Kay’s orchestral suite, and at the Premiere performance, each was read aloud to the audience before its respective movement. The winning pieces that accompanied the premiere are included in the score as examples, but future performances of The Moons need not (and likely should not) include these poems and stories. However, the composer encourages orchestras who wish to perform The Moons to hold similar, community-focused events. For example, they may have a creative writing contest in which students study the moons of our solar system and write poetry/prose based on the music in this Suite.

This project was funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (2025).