Tarnished Mirrors

Deadlines are great sources for inspiration! I remember finding out about the ACO orchestral reading opportunities (Underwood and EarShot) this past autumn and thinking that I would love to participate; however, I did not have a standard orchestra piece. The only orchestral work that I ever wrote was a short steel pan concerto, which did not qualify since it was a concerto. I believe the deadline was in the first few days of December. So, after Thanksgiving rolled around and all the melatonic turkey wore off, I decided to write a short orchestral work because it has been a dream of mine to write for larger ensembles with infinite timbral pallets. After six straight days of non-stop composing and sleeplessness, I finished this short, brand-spanking new work titled Tarnished Mirrors. One day, I would love to expand this piece into a three-movement composition and come up with some “real” program notes after it has marinated, and after I have had some time to think about what the material is truly about when speaking beyond the musical vocabulary.