RIVER

River for two flutes and chamber orchestra (2009).

River: Lake Itaska to the Gulf for flute ensemble (2013).

The Mississippi is a constant backdrop for our lives. The campus where we work is on its banks. I've seen the river everyday for nineteen years. The river is also the backbone of America. It divides east from west. It serves as a watery highway for our country. River represents a journey down the Mississippi, from it's source in the north, so small and shallow that one can walk across it, to the bustling industrial cities of Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Memphis. The river grows bigger and wider as it flows south until it reaches New Orleans, below which a strange thing happens—it gets smaller and more narrow until, at the gulf of Mexico, it almost disappears entirely. While the entire ensemble is used to illustrate the journey of the river, two solo flutes are used to depict it's changing moods. River was composed for the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra to be performed on their trip to China.

River: Lake Itaska to the Gulf is based on the earlier work for chamber orchestra. It was written to be performed at the National Flute Association convention in New Orleans in 2013. Sara Edgerton conducted the Calliope Flute Ensemble.
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River: Lake Itaska to the Gulf, Calliope Flute Ensemble (complete).