Alternative Energy is a short, festive overture for youth orchestra that lasts only 4 minutes. It was written for Dr.

Rennie Wrubel on the occasion of her retirement as Head of School at Milken Community High School on May 22, 2008. Dr. Wrubel was a huge supporter of the school music program, especially the vision for the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, an ensemble bringing students together on campus from over 60 different schools on Saturday afternoons. Alternative Energy was a 2000s buzzword for solutions beyond fossil fuels. I felt the fine arts - especially music - were (are) the missing "alternative energy in current secondary school education, hence the title.

A short introduction with timpani and woodwinds sets up a 5/8 ostinato that "energizes" the piece towards an anthem-type theme. Things quiet down and then gradually build again with rising figures tossed between winds and stringsthat build a tune only hinted by the woodwinds in the opening measure. This in turn builds towards a return of the anthem theme and an ebullient finale.