Forest Scenes

Forest Scenes is the final concert of my summer season at The Little White Church in Eaton. The concert is on Sunday, September 15th at 4 PM. Admission to this concert is $20, with an invitation for students and seniors to pay what feels comfortable to them. Tickets are available here and at the door. 

What a summer of music it's been this year. I've had the privilege of playing with old friends and new friends, with grown students, and now, at the turn of seasons, with a whole string quartet plus a singer. More than a year ago, now, I wrote a set of miniature pieces called Forest Scenes. It is scored for string quartet, mezzo soprano, and piano. The piece of music came about during a late winter and early spring of walking through the woods behind my home--noticing the path of melting water and the lay of the land and the early beginnings of the growing season. Although I was trying to write a piano quintet, words kept coming to my mind embedded in melodies. Finally I gave in to my intuition and scored those words for a singer. 

Now, as we prepare to head into another winter in these woods, I get to announce the premier of this work. The Lakes Region String Quartet is premiering the work along with vocalist Julia Edwards. Quartet members are all principal players in The Lakes Region Symphony. 

Julia is a fine musician and educator. She spends her school year as a choral director in Maine. She says that her musical education began "in the womb" as she was born into a musical family and listened to Bach and other serious music from a young age. She is a sensitive singer and I look forward to hearing the words in my mind come to life in the resounding space of The Little White Church.

Other works on the program will be quartet repertoire and Mozart's Kegelstatt trio, featuring Margaret Hopkins on violin and Sally Wituszynski on viola. Margaret and Sally have both played pieces of mine in the past and I'm excited to work with them both again. 

As if that wasn't enough joy, my friend Dana Cunningham contributes her piece "Homecoming" from her album of the same name. I had the fun of arranging that piece for piano and string quartet and I will enjoy listening to the quartet and Dana bring it to life at the concert. I hope you can join me.