A Year of Trees

a substantial new work for chamber orchestra

I am thrilled to announce an exciting new project for chamber orchestra ensembles launching in 2025: A Year of Trees. Each month in 2025, I will write a new 3-5 minute movement for chamber orchestra—each inspired by a different tree or tree species. From towering coastal Redwoods, the unique branches on Monkey Puzzle trees, the enchanting elegance of Weeping Willows, and the striking bark of Paper Birch and Quaking Aspens—there is much to be admired and shared about the untold stories of trees from around the world, and what they have to share with us.

Trees sit at a unique intersection of various climate change issues. As trees are removed to make way for farmland, cities, and to be processed for a variety of goods, we also remove vital resources for an unbelievable variety of species—who in turn are also threatened. Through the Global Tree Assessment program, intensive research took place between 2015 and 2020 to compile extinction risk information on the 58,497 known tree species worldwide. As of 2021, we now know that 30% of tree species (~17,500) are threatened with extinction, and at least 142 tree species are recorded as extinct. Very few of these endangered species are offered formal protections (read full report here).

There is much to explore on this topic, and it’s something I’ll be diving into more deeply each month during the A Year of Trees project. My hope in creating this substantial work is to provide opportunities to further educate, deepen appreciation for, and provide action steps to communities across the country and beyond.

Call for Consortium Members:

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2024

In an attempt to make this project accessible to a variety of ensemble sizes and budgets across the country, I have organized this consortium! The difficulty of the music will allow for collegiate players and professionals alike to successfully prepare the work for performance.

The buy-in is relatively inexpensive for a 45-minute work ($500), and includes important rights that will keep the piece accessible to ensembles and listeners alike in the years to come. To ensure I am able to give the work its proper attention, the consortium will only launch if a minimum of 10 ensembles join the consortium by September 1st, 2024.

If launched, the work will be completed on January 1st, 2026 and delivered via email to each member. Consortium members will receive the whole piece, but may choose to only program a movement or two at a time, if desired—with exclusivity ending on July 1st, 2027.

More details on the piece follow below—I hope you can join me in 2025 on what will prove to be an incredible journey!

12 Months, 12 Movements