Two Variations on Ascent into the Empryean

Two Variations on Ascent into the Empyrean is a pair of short orchestral movements inspired by my children’s artwork entitled “Rainbow for Mama, with Door”(Thora, at age 3 yrs. 9 mos.) and “Rocketship and Blast-off Fire” (Otto, at age 3 yrs. 11 mos. The drawings, for me, reflect the children’s fascination with the immensity of our world and provide a glimpse into the immensity of the worlds inside their minds. Both transport us into the heavens – the Empyrean – and beyond. But while Thora enters this realm via a small golden portal, Otto is propelled skyward by the colossal power of a rocket, leaving in his wake a spectacular rush of fire and smoke. Two Variations on Ascent into the Empyrean was composed for and premiered by conductor Glenn Block and the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra.