On the Trunks of Strong Trees

For voice, flute, cello & piano

Duration: 6 minutes

Fresno performance (baritone Anthony Radford): On the Trunks of Strong Trees On the Trunks of Strong Trees

Seattle performance (soprano Vanessa Rose Ament): On the Trunks of Strong Trees On the Trunks of Strong Trees

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

Text · Performance History · Purchase Sheet Music

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.

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.

Purchase Sheet Music

Sheet music for On the Trunks of Strong Trees is available from Art of Sound Music.

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