In the Presence of Redwoods (score)

Winner of the 2007 Jim Highsmith Prize for orchestral composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, In the Presence of Redwoods is a musical tribute to the grandeur, majesty, and mystery of redwood forests.  It was inspired by a visit to the Muir Woods north of San Francisco.  The work's main melodic idea, played first by the flute, gradually gives rise to a web of musically interconnected themes. Each of these themes has its own distinct personality but is related in some way to the melody first sounded by the flute. The piece builds slowly and steadily to a climax, and then yields to a tender, nostalgic conclusion.  Full orchestra (3-3-3-3 winds; 4-3-3-1 brass; timpani; percussion [3 players]; piano; harp; strings).  Duration approx. 10' 30".