unsheltered

unsheltered (2019)
for orchestra

RBC Affiliate Composer, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis, Interim Artistic Director

…In this humming and doubled land, hold worry, only me

and I get older or I grow farther from myself and I always most love the moment before

now…

 ~ Book of Worry, by Joanna Doxey

Much of my recent artistic work has been a contemplation of the surrounding landscapes that I inhabit, reflecting on these sites, smells, shapes, and sounds that are constantly in flux.  Often finding refuge in small moments of calm outside the city, my music tends to embody these fleeting moments, juxtaposing them against the daily experiences of my city-dwelling life.

I began working this project during spring 2019, when a large portion of Alberta directly to the north of Edmonton was on fire.  Counterpoint to this crisis locally, was a constant barrage of news information surrounding both the migrant crisis and the climate crisis.  The notion of shelter felt very much in focus while I sat down to compose every day – my surroundings near and far feeling tenuous, slippery, and humming with an uneasy energy, suggesting something inevitable.  This work considers the necessity for refuge, with music shaped by lines that grasp upwards interspersed with slippery glissando; leading to moments where everything tumbles downwards; and finally contrasted by moments of lightness and retreat.