Were You There? was composed as part of a commissioning project for the New Trier High School Wind Ensemble of Winnetka, Illinois.  This poignant Spiritual is seldom found in arrangements, perhaps owing to it’s imposing range of nearly an octave and a half.  This arrangement features solo horn (cued in alto sax), solo trumpet, and brass quartet versions of the hymn tune.  Frequent modulations and fresh harmonic twists create a fascinating and warm rendition of what is perhaps the most stirring of all American spirituals.