Writing place-inspired compositions is something I've been doing for most of my career. Examples include pieces like Central Park Suite, Boggy Slough, and Prince William Sound. Likewise, I've written plenty of music that attempts to capture the spirit of adventure (Songs of a Sourdough, Sea Dreams, White Water, etc.). I have always been predisposed to allow my interest in these things to inform my creative work. I even wrote one piece (Lechuguilla) that was about a national park, although I didn't know it at the time.
It wasn't until 2009, though, that I began an organized process of focusing on the national parks of the United States and creating a body of chamber and concert music that might help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act (2014), and the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service (2016). Toward that end, I have undertaken the projects and adventures chronicled below.
It has been a surprise and delight to me that so many others have joined in this pursuit - either by creating their own wilderness-inspired music, or through performance or concert attendance. One of the most conspicuous outgrowths of this is the Composing in the Wilderness field seminar offered jointly by Alaska Geographic and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival.
2009
Inspired by a winter trip through Big Bend National Park's Santa Elena Canyon, I composed a three-movement sonata for trombone and piano titled River Runner. This piece was premiered by Deb Scott and Ron Petti at the 2009 conference of the National Association of Composers, USA in San Marcos, TX, and has subsequently been performed widely on recitals and conferences throughout the US. In 2014 it was published in the UK by Warwick Music, and is now available on two CDs.
2010
In quick succession, I was asked to write pieces for trombone choir, and trumpet ensemble. Building on the momentum of River Runner, I chose to write these two pieces about Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, both of which are managed jointly and showcase some of California's most stunning scenery and wildlife.
Kings Canyon was premiered in Sydney, Australia at the 2010 Conference of the International Trumpet Guild.
Artist in Residence
In July of 2010, I had the privilege of serving as Artist-in-Residence for Rocky Mountain National Park. This two-week residency allowed me to explore the park fully, and gather the ideas and inspiration needed to compose a new piece (see below).
2011
In February of 2011, The Timberline Sonata was premiered at the Estes Park Music Festival in Colorado by Gary Wurtz (trumpet) and Ron Petti, piano. This sonata (in four movements) was the result of my 2010 residency at Rocky Mountain National Park and attempts to capture the most iconic experiences of the park. I wrote an article about the experience and it was published in the Fall 2011 issue of National Parks Magazine.
Early in 2011 I was commissioned by the Oasis Quartet to write a new piece for saxophone quartet and percussion ensemble to be premiered in July in Chiayi City, Taiwan. For my subject matter, I chose a dramatic search and rescue incident that occurred at Mount Rainier National Park in 2004. The resulting piece has subsequently been performed in Texas and at the 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance Conference in Arizona.
In May of 2011, I was the first composer ever to serve as an Artist-in-Residence at Denali National Park in Alaska. My visit there led to the subsequent establishment of the Denali Music Festival, and the Composing in the Wilderness field seminar offered jointly by the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival and Alaska Geographic. The resulting composition was premiered in Texas by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, and received its Alaska premiere in the Denali Visitors Center the following summer. A recording of this piece is available on the Encounters CD.
2012
Percussionist Brad Meyer approached me in 2012 about the possibility of commissioning a new piece for marimba. As has become my habit, I asked "Can it be about a national park?" He agreed, and I chose Carlsbad Caverns as my subject. With only a limited time window available to me, I drove to the park and took the immersive guided spelunking trip to the "Hall of the White Giant." The piece was premiered in Danville, Kentucky, and has since been performed in Texas and New York. It is available on the Encounters CD.
Also in 2012, I had the rare opportunity to travel in Alaska for the entire summer on a research grant and gather inspiration and research for three large-scale compositions (all of which had their premiere in 2014).
I was fortunate to serve as Glacier Bay National Park's first-ever Artist-in-Residence. They allowed me to stay for five days on this secluded floating cabin, from which I was able to explore the bay by kayak.
I spent two weeks exploring Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. During my time there, I backpacked across Nazina Mountain, hiked the northern forests, and toured the amazing remains of the Kennecott mining facility.
Lastly, I was selected as the 2012 Artist-in-Residence for Gates of the Arctic National Park where I spent ten days on an epic backcountry patrol chasing caribou with Ranger Zak Richter.
2013
In February of 2013, I drove to Mesa Verde National Park (my second visit there) and had the rare opportunity to have a private tour of some of the Puebloan Dwellings with a park ranger. The silence and tranquility of the locale, magnified by the many inches of fresh snow, made the "ghosts" of this remarkable place all the more palpable. I composed a duo for two flute players which was premiered by Christina Guenther and Mariana Gariazzo in August at the annual convention of the National Flute Association. It has been performed many times since, and has been released on the Encounters CD.
2014
This year marked the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act in the US and, as such, it was full of activity. I completed the scores for Glacier Bay, Gates of the Arctic, and Kennecott, and also composed a new sonata (Range of Light) for saxophone and piano based on Ansel Adams' iconic photographs of Yosemite National Park.
In March, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra premiered Glacier Bay under the direction of Richard Lee.
In early April, Fred J. Allen and the SFA Wind Ensemble premiered Kennecott.
In late April, Range of Light was premiered by saxophonist Nathan Nabb and pianist, James Pitts.
During the month of June, I served as the Artist-in-Residence for Glacier National Park in Montana. I spent four weeks living in a cabin on Lake MacDonald, exploring the park, and giving presentations in the park visitors centers. This residency resulted in a new orchestral work called Crown of the Continent (now available on the Sparks CD from Navona Recordings).
September saw the world premiere of Gates of the Arctic by the Boulder Philharmonic (Colorado) under the direction of Maestro Michael Butterman.
2015
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign in early 2015, I released Encounters: Music Inspired By Our National Parks. This CD of chamber music features River Runner (about Big Bend), The Ghosts of Mesa Verde, Range of Light (about Yosemite), Hall of the White Giant (about Carlsbad Caverns), and Denali. The CD bears the official NPS centennial logo and a portion of all proceeds goes to the National Park Foundation. Range of Light was also released on a second CD featuring only my saxophone compositions performed by saxophonist Nathan Nabb.
In May I finished the score and parts to Crown of the Continent - a short celebratory piece for orchestra written as a result of my residency at Glacier National Park in 2014. This piece was recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic in October of that year and has been released on the Sparks CD.
In June, I spent time exploring the parks of the Pacific Northwest including a weeklong backpack of the Olympic Coast, and visits to San Juan Islands National Historic Site, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades national parks.
In July I was honored to be able to make a multimedia presentation at the Regional Headquarters of the National Park Service in Anchorage, and then make other presentations about music and the parks at Denali, Fairbanks, and Kantishna. Before returning home, I made a stop in Colorado to attend a performance of The Ghosts of Mesa Verde in Greeley.
Rounding out the year with fantastic news, we learned in December that the Boulder Philharmonic received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to commission me for a new orchestral piece about Rocky Mountain National Park (All the Songs that Nature Sings). The piece was premiered in 2017 both in Colorado, and also at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as part of the SHIFT Festival of American Orchestras.
2016
The centennial year of the National Park Service! This year is packed with activity. Here's a summary:
In February, I teamed up with my colleagues at SFA to present a full recital of park-inspired pieces, including the premiere public presentation of a new "Art and Inspiration" film from Denali National Park.
In March, saxophonist Nathan Nabb performed Range of Light at the North American Saxophone Alliance convention in Lubbock, TX. In April, the Shreveport Symphony presented Gates of the Arctic as part of its season finale concert. In May I spent two weeks in residence at St. Gaudens National Historic Site where I began the process of composing a new commission titled ...into the blue that was eventually premiered by the Arianna String Quartet in August.
June involved a two-week visit to Rocky Mountain National Park for an inspirational time and to start composing All the Songs that Nature Sings for the Boulder Philharmonic. In July I returned for the fifth year of Composing in the Wilderness and also served as the special emphasis speaker at Camp Denali/North Face Lodge in Kantishna, AK. The first week of August saw me flying to the very western part of Alaska to serve as Artist-in-Residence at Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Following that, I headed down to Homer, AK for the 2016 Wild Shore Festival for New Music in August. Their entire program this year focused on the national parks, and include my piece Jeffrey Pine. Following their performances in Alaska, this amazing group of performers presented the same concert at Federal Hall in New York City, and then once more on the National Mall in Washington DC on the exact day that the National Park Service turned 100.
In September, percussionist Sean Statser played my Hall of the White Giant in the Hamptons of New York, and then the year was rounded out by symphonic performances of my park-inspired pieces by the Fairbanks and Anchorage symphonies in October and November.
A wonderful, rewarding, and exhausting year!
2017
In February I traveled to Alaska to be present for the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race. This was the subject of a newly-commissioned chamber work for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. I interviewed mushers, visited locations along the route, spent time with dog handlers, etc. This race is deeply connected to Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The resulting piece (The Quest) was premiered in July in Fairbanks.
March saw the premiere performance of the NEA-commissioned piece All the Songs that Nature Sings. The Boulder Philharmonic presented the piece both in Colorado, and at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
In May, the high-school students in Nome, Alaska premiered Between the Tundra and the Sky, written in collaboration with Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.
Throughout the year, there were lots of other performances of park pieces including Range of Light, The Timberline Sonata, Gates of the Arctic, and others.
2022
After a few years of concentrating on other projects and commissions, 2022 brought about two new park-related commissions. One for the Estes Park Village Band, and the other from Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble.
2023
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Working in collaboration with Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Boulder Philharmonic, I was able to spend ten days in the park and explore this inspiring and expansive landscape in preparation for a new orchestral work titled Wind, Water, Sand which will be premiered on January 12, 2025 by the Boulder Philharmonic.
Lake Clark National Park
My exciting visit to Lake Clark National Park (as part of Composing in the Wilderness) led to a commission from Washington and Lee University for a band piece titled Alpine Flight which was premiered in April, 2024.
2024
While this year saw the premiere of Alpine Flight and peformances of lots of other prior pieces, the most exciting new project was that I was named as Composer in Residence for Mount Rainier National Park. This residency involves three visits to Mount Rainier, multiple public presentations, and will result in a large-scale work for orchestra with synchronized imagery.
