A New Day's Comin' is aimed at the Junior String Orchestra and was composed in 1994. It has lyrical and flowing melodies to help develop legato bowing skills, and there are opportunities to create long singing lines for each instrument and this would fit easily into any concert and for any occasion. Dennis Leogrande is particularly successful at writing accessible and enjoyable music for the beginner string orchestra, offering simple and effective challenges within the first year of study.

There are parts for Violin 3 or Viola and both are included in the full score. The double bass is independent of the cello offering useful ensemble skills for the developing bassist.

The composer writes: 'Please rehearse for emotional content and melodic clarity. Feel free to vary the tempo (Rubato) and to encourage vibrato intensities. Full bows are necessary to perform the phrases with a good string tone.

Be careful when changing bow direction so that accents are not produced. Please balance soli sections, harmonies bteween the inner parts, and independent musical lines. This piece is a celebration of harmony and emotion.'

'I welcome this addition to the string orchestra repertoire for younger groups. The melodies are lyrical and give lots of opportunities for long bows. There are also soli passages for the inner parts - I particularly liked the second subject on cellos and violas. The harmony is quite sonorous and always always in five parts...I'm delighted that the double bass part is quite independent from the cello part with its own brief moments of glory...An ideal work for a youth string orchestra concert and I can imagine young players humming the tunes on their way home.Recommended. ' [Andrew Marshall - ARCO / ESTA]

Dennis Leogrande has been a music educator and supervisor of music in New Jersey (USA) public schools where has has taught band and string instruments to students aged four to eighteen years, as well as directing bands, jazz ensembles and orchestras.

He holds a Masters degree in Music Education from New York University and a Supervisor of Music degree. In addition to his teaching, Dennis Leogrande has written numerous works for the educational market, composed for animated films, and operates a digital recording studio where he records local artists.

Recital Music are planning to publish a number of works for string orchestra, alongside music for double bass.