Lake Union

Solo Viola, 3' 30” (2020)

This piece was written in the spring of 2020 after my last trip home before the full lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. I visited Seattle and Bainbridge Island in early March, when we were only just beginning to understand the extent of what was coming. The difference in the public atmosphere and attitude between the beginning and end of the trip was palpable, despite being only a few days apart. 

I was inspired by the constant shifting of the ubiquitous water and the low-hanging cloud formations in the windy March weather. My strongest memory of this was at Gasworks Park overlooking Lake Union, a large freshwater lake and shipping canal right in the middle of the city. On the other side of the lake is the skyline of downtown Seattle and the South Lake Union neighborhood – also a scene of immense and constant change over the years since I moved away from home. I wished to show this shifting with a constant sixteenth note pulse, which I also felt was a unique choice for a solo work. 

The air and the landscape of the Pacific Northwest are completely different to where I live now in every way. At the time of writing this piece, I cannot be certain when I will be able to visit home again.

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