The Bird-While
Year Composed
2022
Duration
18:00
Instrumentation
Original instrumentation: Solo flute, clarinet, violin, cello
Also avaialble for: Solo woodwind quintet
Symphonic winds: Piccolo, flute 1-2, oboe 1-2, english horn, clarinet 1-2, bass clarinet, bassoon 1-2, contrabassoon, horn 1-4, trumpet 1-3, trombone 1-2, bass trombone, tuba, percussion 1-4
Price:
$35.00-375.00
Program Notes
The Bird-While (2022) is a concerto for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and symphonic winds commissioned by Hub New Music and premiered by the University of Michigan Symphony Band. The piece is titled after and based on Keith Taylor’s poem “Acolytes in the Bird-While,” which explores the flora and fauna of Michigan and the struggle to persist in the face of climate change. I aimed to write a concerto for an unconventional group of instruments that demonstrates their virtuosity while providing a platform for awareness of and education around environmental and climate justice. Each movement derives its title from Taylor’s poem, drawing attention to pivotal lines in the poem’s narrative.
Additional Information
2024 Sousa-ABA Ostwald Composition Contest Finalist
Commissioned by Hub New Music and premiered by Hub New Music and the University of Michigan Symphony Band on March 10, 2023
Version for solo woodwind quintet and symphonic winds commissioned John Zastoupil and the Univeristy of Tennessee-Knoxville Wind Ensemble. Premiered at the 2025 CBDNA National Conference on March 27, 2025.
Movements:
I. Avian Gods
II. Fragile, Vanishing Gifts
III. Survive
Media