Defensive Masquerade (2020)

Duration: 8 minutes

Commissioned and Performed by: Vuorovesi Trio (Diane Boyd Schultz, flute; Mary Lindsey Bailey, oboe; and Osiris Molina, clarinet)

Program note:

Defensive Masquerade describes the manner in which plants camouflage to protect themselves against predators. Plant variegation is a form of defensive masquerade and each movement reflects a specific type of variegation. The first movement’s title “chimeric” refers to the two types of plant tissue that coexist in variegation. Both DNA strands coexist and one does not dominate over the other so I use multiple themes that work together in a similar fashion. The second movement deals with reflected light and how it can create visual effects of variegation for the plant. In this movement, I create a kaleidoscope of sound to represent this shimmering quality. The third movement “rush” is inspired by variegation where the green color of the leaf is entirely taken over by another color like red or purple. There is also some musical influence in this movement from the band Rush. Overall, this piece takes loose inspiration from observable features in nature and tries to see if musical elements can also work in a similar satisfying manner.