Permafrost Ghosts

Instrumentation: Flute (dbl. Picc), Oboe, Clarinet in Bb, Bassoon, Horn in F, Trumpet in C, Tenor Trombone, 2 Percussion (Crotales, Timpani, Glockenspiel, Marimba, Drumset, Vibraphone, etc.), Piano Soloist, and Strings (2 Vln, Va, Vc, Cb).

Written: 2024-2025

Length: 16 minutes

Commissioned by: Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra

Program Note:

Permafrost Ghosts is a 16-minute, single-movement concerto for piano and large ensemble. The image of permafrost came to me during the isolation of winter 2021, looking out from my desk at a frozen lake in rural New Jersey, where my parents live. I had no shortage of time to myself that pandemic winter, and became immersed in the feeling of that bright, white, desolate landscape. I developed the piece further in 2022 at Willapa Bay AiR in coastal Washington, surrounded by fresh air and fellow artists. This year, I returned to the music with some distance and clarity, expanding it into its final form.

The piece responds to the traces of living things revealed as Arctic permafrost thaws. There’s something so strange and beautiful about the preserved, ancient flora and fauna that are increasingly emerging from the ice as the world warms, uncovering secrets from the past as humans warm the present atmosphere. As I sat at the piano, working on this piece, I felt the parallels between the hidden life in the permafrost and the memories I have at the piano, where I’ve spent much of my time sitting at the keyboard since the age of four. These appear in the muscle memory of my hand’s movements, the chords that I reach for as I compose, and the traces of where I’ve been and who I’ve shared music with over the years.

I want to give heartfelt thanks to Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Benjamin Mitchell, not only for commissioning and performing the piece, but for their incredible commitment to new music. And many thanks to Cynthia Hayward, the director of Willapa Bay AiR, whose generous support helped bring this piece and performance to life.