The Skies are Shifting (2020)

for solo clarinet and viola, with string orchestra

The world around us is changing so rapidly – in good and bad ways. Some of these changes will take time, and some will happen so quickly that we’ll forget about them as soon as they’ve happened. Society is changing, revealing various colors, stories, and lives of many different people. It’s similar to the sky; it never stays the same. Clouds will always appear in a multitude of shapes and color shifts throughout the day. Natural phenomena happen and unusual colors and shapes appear. Sometimes there are stars, sometimes the sun is covered, the moon changes shape – the sky is everchanging. We as people are everchanging, and it’s always to do better. This piece begins rather mellow, and then gains energy and thickness as it grows. It builds upon two themes that fragment to develop atmospheric textures and colors. Similar to the music, The Skies are Shifting.

This piece was composed for the Urbana High School string orchestra to feature Maegan Blake, clarinet, and Emily Blake, viola.

A covid-19 performance by Maegan Blake, clarinet, and Emily Blake, viola, accompanied by a NotePerformer string orchestra realization .

 

Performances:

  • April 15, 2021 - Auditorium at Urbana High School in Ijamsville, MD (premiere)

    • Performers: Maegan Blake, clarinet; Emily Blake, viola; Urbana High School String Orchestra, directed by Hector Ayerdiz