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Instrumentation: 

Version 1 – Fl, Cl, A Sax, Electronics/Laptop, Pno, Vibr, Vln, Vc

Version 2 – Cl, Vln, Vc, Pno

Version 3 – Vln, Vla, Vc, Pno

Program Note:

Red Vesper was written for Bill Ryan and the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble for their tour of the Western United States, including several National Parks. The National Parks are many things to many people, but for me, they have most often been a very special place to find silence inside of myself. A vesper is an evening prayer, a meditation and reflection at the end of the day, and I found the idea of holding vespers in the wilderness to be profound and beautiful. I chose to call it red vesper because of the deep, red glow of the setting sun on the horizon and also because of the beautiful and iconic red rock formations that occupy so many of our great National Parks, particularly Capitol Reef National Park.

The version for clarinet, violin, violoncello, and piano was written for Music from Copland House.

The version for violin, viola, violoncello, and piano was written for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet.