On the Trunks of Strong Trees

For voice, flute, cello & piano - Duration: 6 minutes

Listen: On the Trunks of Strong Trees - New York performance (soprano Angela Scherrah)

Premiered February 15, 2006, by Vanessa Rose Ament, soprano, Jessica Andrews, piano, Samantha Bosch, flute, and Tracy Hagen, cello, at the Pleasure for the Ear concert at Bethany Lutheran Church, Seattle. The performers were students at Cornish College of the Arts and were coached for this performance by pianist Peter Mack. The arrangement for baritone voice was premiered November 5, 2011, at the Fesno New Music Festival by the ensemble No Left Notes (Andrew Radford, baritone; Teresa Beaman, flute; Thomas Loewenheim, cello; Lenore Hiebert, piano). The New York premiere was given September 28, 2008, by Angela Scherrah, soprano, Theresa Thompson, flute, Alexandra Frederick, piano, and Caleigh Drane, cello, on the Composer's Voice concert series. Sheet music for On the Trunks of Strong Trees is now available from Art of Sound Music in arrangements for both high voice and low voice. The text was authored by the composer.

On the Trunks of Strong Trees After dinner when the refrigerator droned monotone commentary, To supplant the fan overhead, Holding onto the railing she fled Down ten flights of orange-railed stairs and outside Into the evening drizzle and the ionized air In no state of mind to be fair To the crisp calmness which spoke for the world With lingering light in the sky and windshield wipers in gear, Singing to counteract fear, And everything else that weighed down Ten floors up in the kitchen When thirty-two seemed too old To lose direction without losing hold On a peace that no longer believed itself Any better than boredom. So she let herself slow down And accept the strength that she found From lashing her tears on the trunks of strong trees, Sucking in the scent of wet earth, Staring at the coarse cold bark, Believing in the thunder and the dark.

Performance History Premiered February 15, 2006, by Vanessa Rose Ament, soprano, Jessica Andrews, piano, Samantha Bosch, flute, and Tracy Hagen, cello, Bethany Lutheran Church, Seattle September 28, 2008, Angela Scherrah, soprano, Theresa Thompson, flute, Alexandra Frederick, piano, Caleigh Drane, cello, Composer's Voice concert series, Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, New York City November 5, 2011, the ensemble No Left Notes (Andrew Radford, baritone; Teresa Beaman, flute; Thomas Loewenheim, cello; Lenore Hiebert, piano), Fresno New Music Festival, Fresno, California Return to Instrumental Compositions www.gregbartholomew.com