Chris Hass: Chocolate Bunny for Trombone and Fixed Media

Chocolate Bunny is a virtuosic piece for trombone and fixed media. Inspired by Hans Zimmer’s “Time” from the movie Inception, the piece repeats the same harmonic content throughout, adding new textures and ideas in the fixed media part and developing the melody in the trombone part as the piece progresses. This piece is divided into two distinct sections, the first depicting a more traditional style, with classical instruments imitated in the fixed media part and lyrical playing in the trombone. The second section is more unconventional, featuring EDM and dubstep elements in the fixed media, as well as extended techniques, a wider use of range, and an improvisatory section in the trombone part. The piece ends with a brief recapitulation to the very beginning of the piece, with an intentional lack of resolution in the trombone.

Chris Evan Hass (b. 1993) is a composer, arranger, and conductor hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chris’ music has been performed across the United States and has received international recognition with performances throughout Asia and in Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. His music has been performed by ensembles including the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet, the Sinta Saxophone Quartet, and the Third Coast Trombone Choir.
Chris has had pieces featured at new music festivals including Indiana State University’s Contemporary Music Festival, New Music Detroit’s Strange Beautiful Music Festival, and various Society for Composers Inc. conferences. He has also had performances at the Indonesia Orchestra and Ensemble Festival, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, National Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and the US Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.
Chris holds degrees in Composition from Central Michigan University (M.M.) and Western Michigan University (B.M.). His primary teachers include David Gillingham, Evan Ware, Christopher Biggs, and Lisa Coons. Chris currently resides in Jackson, MI, where he works as a freelance composer and teaches private lessons for low brass students at Northwest Public Schools.