Fernie's Up
A Pops Composition for Orchestra and Narrator
“Fernie’s up! Move in!” the other boys taunted every time Fernie came up to bat. And then one day, they all moved into the infield and Fernie hit a simple line drive and it turned into a game-winning home run.
Title: Fernie's Up
Composer: Tim Berens
Description: Fernie's Up is a piece for narrator and orchestra that tells a charming tale about the unlikely hero of a sandlot baseball game. The piece is based on a sandlot baseball game that took place in 1972. The composer played on Fernie’s team in the game.
The game came down to the bottom of the ninth inning, with two runners on base, two outs, and Fernie’s team was two runs down. Fernie came to bat, and all the players on the other team moved into the infield to taunt him, yelling “Fernie’s up! Move in!”
Fernie hit a simple line drive into left field and nobody was there to stop it, so it turned into a game-winning home run. The audience always cheers when Fernie beats the throw to home “by a mile!” The bullied kid becomes the hero.
This piece is a Norman Rockwellian composition for Pops Orchestra.
Audiences of all ages love this piece.
Length: 10:30
Instrumentation: 2222/4331/Timp+2/Drum Set /Harp/Piano/Strings/Narrator
Length: 10:30
Rental Fee: $450.00 first performance. $150.00 per subsequent performance.
Sound Selection by: Sibelius 7.5 with Note Performer. Narrated by Tim Berens.
The audience always cheers when Fernie beats the throw “by a mile.”
“As the piece started, I looked out and saw a young father, who had obviously been dragged to a *^!%& orchestra concert by his wife. He sat sour-faced, his arms folded across his chest. Several minutes into Fernie’s Up, he was leaning forward, smiling. ‘This is about sports!’”
