Richard Lee, music director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra.

The East Texas Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming “Gridiron Symphony” promises to be “an event for the community,” combining music with East Texans’ passion for high school football.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” said Robin Hampton, executive director of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra.

“Gridiron Symphony,” which will be performed March 23, is written by Dr. Kyle Gullings, associate professor of music theory and composition at the University of Texas at Tyler.

“There’s a lot more than just people loving the game,” he said. “There’s also action and excitement.”

Gullings was commissioned by the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and asked by the conductor, Richard Lee, to write an original piece.

“(Lee) wanted to commission a piece of work that celebrated high school football because it’s so intertwined in our culture here in East Texas,” Hampton said. “And I thought it was a great idea. I mean, it’s Friday night, the lights go on… everybody’s involved, marching bands, dancers, football players, families, parents… everybody comes out, and he wanted to celebrate that.”

“(Lee) and I are not from East Texas, he’s from Canada, I’m from South Dakota… both places that are colder than it is here and are not quite as nuts about football as we are here,” Gullings said. “So, he said he wanted to kind of explore that topic because it’s obviously really important to people, and it brings people together and gets people in it all in the same place at the same time for one activity.”

For several months, Gullings talked to coaches and players and attended games and practices.

“I felt like I couldn’t really start writing any notes or any melodies or rhythms until I came to understand the people and the sport a little better,” he said. “So, I did some homework… and got to meet a lot of folks in the process. Everything really came together.”

Gullings said the show is 26 minutes long with four movements, like a traditional symphony, to mirror the four quarters of a football game.

“We will also have a narrator who is kind of the in-house announcer,” he added. “He will kind of announce to the audience what is happening in each movement throughout the piece.”

In addition to Gullings’ original piece, the concert also will feature other sports-themed works, including Olympic-inspired pieces by John Williams, Vangelis’ popular theme from “Chariots of Fire,” and Charles Ives’ take on the Yale-Princeton football rivalry.

In addition, marching band students from Tyler Legacy and Tyler High schools will play in portions of the piece.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that we get that opportunity to involve them,” Gullings said.

The performance will mark the ETSO’s last of the season.

“It’s a wonderful way to end our season,” Hampton said. “But we’ve got some amazing things coming up… and we can’t wait to reveal what we have in the works.”

With all the work Gullings had put into the piece, he said he is excited and nervous.

“I’m a little bit nervous just because there’s a lot of moving pieces involved, it’s a lot to coordinate,” he said. “I’ve always told my students that if you’re not nervous, you’re not passionate about what you’re doing. But thankfully, as a composer, all of my hard work is pretty much done. I’m excited to see the hard work come to life.”

The concert is set 7:30 p.m. March 23 at the UT Tyler Cowan Center.

Tickets are available through the Cowan Center box office at (903) 566-7424 or online at cowancenter.org/buytickets. The box office also is open for in-person ticketing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“I just really encourage the community to come out and be a part of this unprecedented event,” Hampton said. “This is the kind of experience that I believe that only East Texas can give. It’s going to be amazing.”