KENECOTT (2014)

This piece is part of my National Park Series.

A substantial work for wind ensemble, this 13-minute piece celebrates the history surrounding the Kennecott Copper Mine in the Wrangell Mountains of southeastern Alaska. Now a ghost town, it once was the largest copper deposit known in the world. This exciting and moving piece draws on folk, ragtime, and contemporary techniques to tell the story of the brave people who lived and worked in this remarkable place.

This piece is part of Stephen Lias's National Park Series, and was premiered by Fred J. Allen and the SFA Wind Ensemble in April of 2014 as part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Special thanks to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, and to SFA's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supplying the grant that made this piece possible.