What the Trees Know

What the Trees Know (2023) was inspired by Richard Powers’ The Overstory, the novel I was reading while in-residence at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music in December 2022, during which time my colleagues and I visited the California Redwoods on which the book centers. I began to triangulate the ancient trees I read about at night, their real-life incarnations I saw during the day, and their arborous cousins—maple, spruce, rosewood, and grenadilla—comprising the instruments for which I was writing. What the Trees Know seeks to capture not only the visceral woodiness of this entire experience but also the coinciding lessons I learned from the novel, the Redwoods, and my GLFCAM mentors. The piece musically explores collaboration (as trees work together to find sunlight), community (as dead trees support a host of wildlife), communication (as fungal networks talk to one another), and care (as dying Douglas-firs return their nutrients to the soil).

Immense thanks to Michelle, Chris, Kathryn, Gabriela, and the GLFCAM family for their expertise and encouragement.