MUSIC
World Premiere of The Sacrifice of Prometheus with the Reno Philharmonic!
On March 22 and 23, the Reno Philharmonic premiered by newest composition, entitled The Sacrifice of Prome- theus, which was inspired by me time as the Artist-in-Residence at Great Basin National Park in Nevada. The piece revolves around the story of the former oldest known, living, non-clonal tree in the world, a ~5,000 year old ancient bristlecone pine named Prometheus. The piece is scored for solo bass oboe (which represents the spirit of Prometheus), full orchestra, and electronics (which consist of musical renderings of biodata from the bristlecone pines themselves. It is the first piece in the US to be performed for solo bass oboe and full orchestra, and is the first piece for orchestra to feature musical renderings of biodata from plants. The performance, entitled "Beethoven's Emperor," can be viewed on demand here.​
This is the second of what will be a series of symphonic works about national parks in the United States, entitled From Sea to Shining Sea. The first was Lassen Awakes, which was performed by the North State Symphony in 2023. Next in this series will be a piece entitled "Sky-Tinted Water," a piece celebrating the 50th anniversary of Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. This will be premiered in October 2025. Following that will be, "Sylvan Desert," about Joshua Tree National Park, which will be premiered in May of 2026. Details to come on both of these performances!