In Perpetuity by Brandon Cummings

The TCU Percussion Orchestra, conducted by Brian A. West, performs "In Perpetuity" by Brandon Cummings live at PASIC 2025 on 11-13-25. Posted with permission. In Perpetuity (2025) Early in 2025, I found myself stuck in a repetitive pattern in life. It’s a pretty concerning feeling - as if everything is set to cycle over and over into eternity. I noticed similar patterns in our society and the world we live in. It was painful to observe this, but I realized these perpetual events were not necessarily a problem: I just needed a new approach. With “In Perpetuity” I wanted to express this concept in a way that only music can attempt to resolve. The piece begins with a spacious, contemplative vibraphone solo that seeks to understand how to work with the steady, unyielding xylophone groove. From there, more voices work together to take the listener to new places, eventually embracing and morphing the perpetual motifs into something truly hopeful. Some of the darkest, most dissonant moments of the piece are later reimagined and heard in a new light, carrying forward into an energetic and uplifting conclusion. Notes by the composer