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About
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“How infinitely superior to our physical senses are those of the mind! The spiritual eye sees not only rivers of water but of air. …imagination gives us the sweet music of tiniest insect wings, enables us to hear, all round the world, the vibration of every needle, the waving of every bole and branch, the sound of stars in circulation like particles in the blood. Indeed, the power of imagination makes us infinite.” - John Muir As a composer, I often imagine the soundtrack to my surroundings — especially while hiking in the beauty of mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers. The crisp whisper of wind through pine needles, the babbling of a glacial river, and the stoic quietness of old growth trees exude vivid aural colors, always available to the curious listener. But it is the mind’s ear that can take these sounds and scenes and imagine them into stories and symphonies. In “Rivers of Air,” I endeavored to capture the scenery and experience of hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington while creating my own imagined story. Visions of expansive mountain ranges from thousands of feet in the air, the rushing Nisqually River, and the profound sacredness of old growth trees guided me as I wrote. In an age when humans seem to be continuously separating ourselves from the earth and from each other, Muir’s words remind us to listen deeply to all that is around us; and in that listening, we too can see (and hear) our own rivers of air. |
| Instrumentation | Piccolo Flute 1, 2, & 3 (Optional: Fl. 2 doubling handbell/wine glass) Oboe 1 & 2 Bassoon 1 & 2 Bb Clarinet 1, 2, & 3 Bass Clarinet Alto Saxophone 1 & 2 Tenor Saxophone Baritone Saxophone Bb Trumpet 1, 2, & 3 F Horn 1 & 2 (at least 4 players) Trombone 1 & 2 Bass Trombone Euphonium Tuba Timpani (Optional: doubling handbell/wine glass) Percussion 1: Tubular bells, glockenspiel, handbell/wine glass, marimba, small sus. cym. Percussion 2: Vibraphone, Mark tree, crash cyms., marimba Percussion 3: Bass drum, vibraphone Percussion 4: Small triangle, tam-tam, low tom Percussion 5: Suspended cymbals (small & medium) |
| Duration | 7:00 |
| Year Completed | 2018 |
| Commissioner | Consortium of University Wind Ensembles: Arizona State University - Gary W. Hill and Jason Caslor Baylor University - J. Eric Wilson Bowling Green State University - Ken Thompson Cal Poly Pomona University - Rickey Badua Capital University - Jeff Gershman (consortium lead) Luther College - Joan DeAlbuquerque & Jack Stamp Middle Tennessee State University - Reed Thomas Texas Tech University - Sarah McKoin The University of Texas at Austin - Jerry Junkin University of British Columbia - Robert Taylor University of Colorado Boulder - Donald J. McKinney and Matthew Roeder University of Michigan - Richard Frey University of Montana - James Smart University of Puget Sound - Gerard Morris The University of Texas at El Paso - Andrew Hunter University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point - Michael Butler West Chester University - Andy Yozviak |
| Errata | None |
| Donations | A portion of the proceeds from this work will be donated to the Sierra Club Foundation. |