Aaron Fryklund - Composer

Full orchestra sight-reading music for 2026 is on it's way out! Here are some stats:
6 pieces for full orchestra
4 months of composing, committee reviewing, revising, reading-session-ing, proofing
1 month of printing
202 sets total
675 scores total
Each set contains between 58 and 66 pages
In addition to standard full-orchestra instrumentation, each set contains between 7 and 14 alternate parts to maximize flexibility for schools attending assessments
All parts are printed on 12x18 and cut down to 9x12
Scores are printed on 12x18, folded, and stapled
Over 10,000 sheets of 12x18 were used (20 reams)
16XXL black inkjet cartridges
1,200 staples
14 boxes weighing around 309 pounds total
Countless nervous kids who will hopefully feel confident learning this music against the clock and giving it their best shot for the judges.
Lots of hard work, but so glad to be able to wrap it up and send it along! I designed new Technicolor™ jackets for the sets so they don't look so depressing on the shelf next to actual music 😂
Thanks to all of those involved in the process - it couldn't be done without you!

Y'all, I think three years of printing tens of thousands of pages worth of full orchestra sight reading music may not be good for a printer. Sorry if this comes as a shock to you. Keep all fingers and toes crossed that it will get me through this year's batch!

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Well, I finally had the opportunity to attend Midwest, and it did not disappoint! What an absolute whirlwind of performances, meet and greets, and connections being made. It's so humbling to get to meet and talk music with so many phenomenally talented composers, and I'm so grateful to the Carmel HS orchestra for their amazing performance of Frostbyte! What a great way to cap off 2025!

Posting proof since no doubt you thought there is no way that would put drum sticks in my hand and set me loose in front of educated musicians! Photo by auxiliary percussionist extraordinaire Dión Morales

I can barely hold all of my new 2026 Carl Fischer Music pieces!

Aaron Fryklund with his NEW orchestra pieces: Hidden Words, Fractus, and Schubert's Symphony No. 9. Link in caption to listen!

The first time I went to Midwest it was to support the Berkner orchestra's performance there in 2016. 9 years later, I'm going for the first time on my own! I'm so looking forward to catching up with many friends and meeting lots of new ones! I hope if you're at the conference that you'll stop by and say hello at one of the meet and greets. And if you're able to make it to the 5:00pm concert on Thursday, you'll get to see my Windy City debut as a guest drummer at the RSM orchestra reading session! 😎

I'll be making an appearance at the Carl Fischer booth next Thursday morning - stop by and say Hi!

More Midwest info! I'm very excited to be able to see this performance by the Carmel HS orchestra!

I opened my email this afternoon to a really cool surprise - ASCAP has notified me that I am a recipient of this year's ASCAP Plus award!
"Established in the 1960’s, the ASCAP Plus Awards program provides cash awards and recognition to writers who create music with a value beyond the scope of performance surveys. They are determined annually be a panel of distinguished music experts, who are neither members, nor employees of ASCAP."
I'm grateful and honored to receive this recognition alongside all of the other talented musicians also awarded. And thanks to Nicolas Repetto for making a post about it last year - I would have never known otherwise!

Hi, friends! I'm going to Midwest this year and I'd love to see you if you are there! Here's the Kendor/RBC portion of my schedule!

Join us for a Composer Meet & Greet at the Midwest Clinic! Hang out and catch up with Carol Brittin Chambers, Deborah Baker Monday, Jason K. Nitsch, Leroy Osmon, William Owens, Aaron Fryklund - Composer, and Quincy Hilliard-Composer. Looking forward to seeing you!