A few months ago, we covered Nolan Stolz’s efforts to uncover information about Benonine, Texas, and other ghost towns along Route 66 as part of his research for his forthcoming “Route 66 Suite” he’s composing for orchestras.
The Associated Press recently distributed a story based in Kingman, Arizona, about Stolz, a South Carolina music professor and classical music composer who’s spending more than a year on the Mother Road for his music project. That means 1,300 news outlets that use the service can run the story.
It turns out Stolz has a long connection to the Mother Road:
A native of Las Vegas where he got his undergraduate degree, Stolz is no stranger to Kingman, or the high desert. He said he often traveled through Kingman a few decades ago en route to Lake Havasu to play gigs as a drummer in Chuck E. Bumps and the Crocodiles, a band that still performs to this day.
“We played the song ‘Route 66’ many times,” Stolz said, referring to the rhythm and blues classic. […]
Now, he’s mixing pleasure with business. The plan is to complete the suite by 2024, so it can be worked into schedules for performances by symphony orchestras and concert bands, in the 2025-26 musical season.
He hopes to have his work completed well in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road in 2026. He’ll compose a different version for concert bands at colleges and community groups, which lack woodwinds.
Stolz posts often on social media, including this visit to the Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma:
Stolz also composed a symphony about U.S. 30 – the Lincoln Highway – when it turned 100 years old in 2013.
He recently gave a presentation to the College Music Society Southwest Chapter conference at Azusa Pacific University.
He also has set up a Patreon subscription page to help fund his research.