Orchestration
flute, electronics (stereo)

Duration
26 minutes

Premiere
Premiered by Gözde Çakır Ramsey in 2021.

Program Note
Book of Birds was initially inspired by the hummingbirds that would come drink from the sugar-water feeder that I put out during the spring. From there, I gathered field recordings of their feeding and buzzing around. I began to compose with the sounds I captured. Each movement focuses on a different bird and the world they inhabit, both physically and magically. The movements contain sound-stories based on short folklore tales that I wrote for each bird. The work hearkens back to ancient days, before written word, when stories would be shared and passed aurally through generations, letting the mind create worlds with just sound alone.