Tundral Beacon

Program Notes

Olivier Huebscher ​was my brass instructor for my last two years of studying tuba at Mount Allison University. When he commissioned me for a work just prior to my fifth year, it occurred to me that I was getting ready to take my next steps post-undergrad, and I felt a bit of anxiety at not knowing where to go once I left New Brunswick. I thought of wolves howling to each other, which can be heard from kilometres away over flat landscapes. Over the uncertain terrain of my future, the howl I hear is music—wherever I go, music will be my guide.

Extended techniques in this work include air sounds produced by blowing into the instrument, and hand glissandi used in a variety of ways.