West of Nowhere
Band - Grade 5
2024 – 9'
$24.00 (score)
$130.00 (full set)
The continental United States is one of the most geographically diverse regions on Earth. From the Northeast’s lush mountains and vast freshwater lakes to the Great Plains and the rugged West, the landscape is expansive and endlessly inspiring. Yet, I have always wondered what lay beyond.
Alaska, the "Last Frontier," embodies this unknown. It is the largest, least populated, and northernmost state, home to 56 million acres of wilderness and 60% of all National Park Service land. Nearly 18,000 years ago, a land bridge connected Alaska to Russia, allowing the first Indigenous peoples to inhabit North America (nps.gov). Its ancient history and untouched landscapes create a spiritual environment unlike any other.
In June 2023, I joined five composers for Composing in the Wilderness, part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Guided by two wilderness experts, we spent five days on Lower Tazimina Lake in Lake Clark National Park, one of the most remote locations on Earth. After multiple flights and a floatplane landing, we arrived in a world of alpine tundra, snow-capped mountains, and endless daylight.
This journey inspired West of Nowhere, a composition reflecting Alaska’s vastness and mystery. The piece evolves through shifting timbres, tracing my experience—from dreaming of Alaska to soaring through its mountains, culminating in a meditative moment on a mountain summit.