Composer’s Note

The inspiration for Meri (“the Sea” in Estonian) came from a visit to the Baltic Sea in Laulasmaa Estonia during the summer of 2023. The water’s character is shaped by wind and weather; always in motion, waves crashing into one another or moving in synchronized motion toward the shore. The Baltic Sea is incredibly shallow for quite some distance out, which means that its volatile highs are dynamic and intense, but when it finds stillness the peace is like a slow, restful cadence of breath. 

This piece draws its title—and its footprint of momentum—from this fully alive and deeply beautiful place. The piece flows between a seeming stasis and busy percolating gestural swirls, always in some kind of morphing motion. Each player must hold the individual alongside the collective as they traverse intricate contrapuntal networks rushing past one another and constantly shifting instrument pairs; together, the ensemble travels towards and away from starkly exposed sections which ask each musician to listen harder than they play, leaning into one another to settle in stable triads and twinkling clusters. 

I am grateful to Camerata Nova for their time and attention in workshopping this piece at many stages throughout its development, and helping it to grow into what it has become.

*This commission was made possible by support from a University Research Council Grant at Western Illinois University.