Instrumentation: 2 Oboes, 1 Cor Anglais, 2 Bassoons, 1 Contrabassoon

Duration: 3’

Premiere: Lionel Hampton School of Music Double Reed Ensemble, February 22, 2025, University of Idaho—Moscow, ID

Program notes

On the Trail conjures an experience I’ve imagined many times: at the end of a long day of solo backpacking, though the scenery is stunning, the solitude begins to wear. Shadows grow longer and you need to find a place to camp. Ahead is nook below a high saddle that seems promising. On that saddle silhouetted against the sky you suddenly notice a figure waving wildly and shouting at you. Their hollering is hard to make out, but something about their manner seems familiar. You hear something that sounds like your name float across the wind and it clicks: that’s an old friend up there! You surge up the trail in recognition and enjoy a happy reunion, starved for companionship and beyond grateful for a familiar face. Though you’re going opposite directions on the trail and the rendezvous is short-lived, being reminded of how you relate to the human world puts your once-again stunning surroundings back into perspective. You find a comfortable spot to bed down for the night and nod off, warmed by your encounter.