Route 66 Suite

(music for the next 100 years of Route 66)

A multi-movement orchestral suite by Nolan Stolz

A seven-year project (2020–2026) commemorating Route 66’s centennial

The size of the orchestra is triple woodwinds (with some movements having 3rd on piccolo, English horn, and E-flat clarinet), 4.3.3.1 brass, timp, 3 percussion, and enough strings to balance. The eight movements are organized in two parts. Any movement will work as a standalone work, any combination of individual movements will work as a “mini suite,” especially Part One or Part Two as a “mini suite”:

Part One:

I. A.D. 1926 (6’45”)

II. 26 Gas Stations (4’30”)

III. 66 Ghost Towns (4’45”)

IV. Vacancy / No Vacancy (7’30”)

Part Two:

V. Neon Dreams (9′)

VI. Desert 66 (7’30”)

VII. Among the Trees (5′)

VIII. The Show Will Go On (6’45”) (with optional 1’45” Grand Finale)

Total duration: 52-53 minutes (just under an hour with time between movements)

Contact the composer at stolz@uscupstate.edu or nolan@nolanstolz.com to have a listen to demo recordings, live preview recordings, and a look at the score. Contact him to schedule a performance of the suite or individual movements from it. In order to celebrate the highway’s 100th birthday (November 11th, 2026), premieres of the suite (or individual movements thereof) should take place in Summer 2026, 26/27, or Summer 2027. Of course, performances for later seasons are perfectly acceptable (after all, the subtitle is “music for the next 100 years of Route 66″).

The federal, Biden-appointed, Route 66 Centennial Commission has recommended to U.S. Congress that the Route 66 Suite be an official artistic project to celebrate 66’s centennial. This distinction will carry some weight in the promotion of your orchestra’s performance of the work and in any grant applications your ensemble seeks. There are state-funded grants for the Route 66 centennial, and there are other opportunities for private and public funding. Contact the composer for more information.

Conductors: Contact the composer regarding the progress of the suite and for samples of completed movements and/or drafts of other movements. To see a completed example of Stolz’s orchestral writing, download the PDF of the Lincoln Highway Suite HERE and listen to the Lincoln Highway Suite (recorded by the Brno Philharmonic with Mikel Toms, conducting) on Bandcamp by going to the page for each movement separately:
“From The Hudson”
“Metals Heartland”
“Prairie View”
“Traversing the Mountains”
“Golden State Romp”

Fanfare magazine called the Lincoln Highway Suite a “brilliant piece of Americana. . .a piece of inspiration and skill” saying that the “orchestration is brilliantly managed” and “Stolz clearly has a fine repository of [melodies] in his back pocket.”

In 2020, the Brno Philharmonic’s recording of the Lincoln Highway Suite was awarded second place in the American Prize’s Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music (soloist or composer division). David Katz, the chief judge for the American Prize, said Stolz “evidenced skills in the use of the orchestra, in the ability to create telling emotional states, and in evoking genres and styles virtually instantaneously.” Katz described the third movement of the suite, “Prairie View,” as “emotionally compelling and heartfelt.”

The Route 66 Suite will be similar to the Lincoln Highway Suite, but it will be longer (60 minutes instead of 25; eight movements instead of five), slightly larger in forces, and with greater expression and scope.

Conductors and symphony orchestra executive directors and board members: Visit the Facebook page of the Route 66 Suite HERE for news and posts from the road to see what is inspiring the music. Each movement has its own photo album, and there are additional photos and videos on the timeline. Visit the Route 66 Suite Youtube channel HERE.

Band directors: There will be a symphonic band version of the Route 66 Suite as well. You can download the PDF of the band version of the Lincoln Highway Suite HERE and follow along to the recording of the premiere on YouTube.

Route 66 enthusiasts and those interested in getting a “behind the scenes” look at the composition process: subscribe to the Route 66 Suite Patreon page to access exclusive pictures, videos, and Route 66 research that Stolz is doing for the pre-composition stage and “sneak peeks” at the music as it is being composed.

Nolan Stolz at Sandhills Curio Shop in Erick, OK — Nolan Stolz at Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, OK, home of musician Harley Russell

NEWS and UPDATES about the suite

August 2026: The Oklahoma Chamber Orchestra will premiere the entire suite on their November 7th concert in Oklahoma City
July 2026: The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra will premiere the “A.D. 1926” and “Desert 66” movements on their October 23rd concert
July 2026: The Amarillo Globe-News publishes a news story about the Route 66 Suite
July 2026: KOB-4 TV in Albuquerque, NM airs a news story about the Route 66 Suite, a follow-up to their July 2022 story with the same reporter and same filming location!
July 2026: KCRW, the NPR station in Santa Monica, CA, interviews Stolz about the Route 66 Suite. Story to completed and aired/published this Fall.
May 2026: The Tulsa Symphony will premiere the “A.D. 1926” movement on their November 7th concert
May 2026: 51 Gas Stations on Route 66 has its second screening on Route 66, this time at the Gallup Film Festival (NM)
May 2026: 51 Gas Stations on Route 66, a documentary film about the “26 Gas Stations” movement, premieres at the Tucumcari Film Festival (NM)
February 2026: Interview on 96.3 FM (Albuquerque) to talk about the suite
January 2026: All eight movements of the suite are completed
December 2025: Guest appearance on Radio Beat (a network of 62 FM stations in the Czech Republic) to talk about the suite
September 2025: Signature Symphony (Tulsa, OK) previews the “Vacancy / No Vacancy” movement to start their Route 66-themed 25/26 season
March 2025: Oklahoma City University Symphony Orchestra previews the “26 Gas Stations” movement at the College Music Society South Central chapter conference
December 2024: Movt. IV, “Vacancy / No Vacancy,” is completed
September 2024: The score and parts for both the “A.D. 1926” and “26 Gas Stations” movements are now ready. That’s 50 pages of score and 190 pages of parts. Conductors: if you’d like to perform either or both of these movements (2025 preview or 2026 premiere), contact me at nolan (at) nolanstolz (dot) com
In their May 2024 report to U.S. Congress, the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission recommended the Route 66 Suite as an official artistic project to provide “communities across the nation the opportunity to incorporate arts programming into their Centennial activities.”
USC Upstate has awarded Stolz a teaching assistant to allow additional time to compose the “Among the Trees” movement (a $1,500 grant to hire a part-time student assistant to help with grading and course preparation).
USC Upstate has awarded Stolz a course release to allow time to compose the “Neon Dreams” (a $2,500 grant to hire a part-time faculty member teach one of his courses)
The University of South Carolina and USC Upstate have awarded Stolz a RISE grant (Research Incentive for Summer Engagement) of $6,000 to compose the “Desert 66” movement this summer
USC Upstate has awarded Stolz a scholarly course reallocation for the Fall 2023 semester to allow time to compose the “66 Ghost Towns” movement. This $2,500 grant is used to hire a part-time faculty member teach one of his courses.
Osage Arts Community (Belle, MO) has awarded Stolz a month-long residency in Summer 2023 to begin composing the work (likely “A.D. 1926”)
Stolz traveled Rt. 66 for an additional 52 days in Summer 2023 to get additional inspiration before beginning the work in earnest (i.e., more than mere snippets)
National news coverage in 2022: AP news article, TV interview from Oklahoma City that played on more than 90 stations, and three additional articles on Yahoo! News (SFNM, ABQ, PDL)
2nd TV interview: KOB 4 in Albuquerque, NM
Several radio interviews including High Plains Public Radio (a network of 19 FM stations in TX, OK, KS, NE, and CO), NPR in Albuquerque/Santa Fe (KUNM), NPR/Ozarks Public Radio in Springfield, MO (KSMU), three interviews on Radio Beat (62 FM stations in the Czech Republic), KKOB (Albuquerque), and more
Additional articles on the project have appeared in news outlets in over 20 states and five countries, and more are forthcoming. See the Reviews & Press page for additional links to articles and interviews
Osage Arts Community (Belle, MO) has awarded Stolz a 13-month-long residency as a “home base” from July 2021 through July 2022
University of South Carolina Upstate has awarded Stolz a sabbatical for the 2021-22 academic year, during which Stolz will travel up and down Route 66 seeking inspiration for the composition
USC Upstate has awarded Stolz a scholarly course reallocation for the Spring 2021 semester to research ghost towns along Route 66 in preparation for the pre-composition stage of the “66 Ghost Towns” movement. This $2,500 is used to hire a part-time faculty member to teach one of his courses.