Songs the Plants Taught Us (2004) 9' for orchestra

This piece was commissioned by the New York Youth Symphony, and performed by them on November 21, 2004 at Queens College and on December 5, 2004, in Carnegie Hall.

The inspiration for Songs the Plants Taught Us comes from the shamanic practices of many Amazonian tribal cultures, where special songs called icaros are used for magical purposes. The shamans, who guard their icaros jealously, believe that they learn these melodies from the spirits of specific "teacher plants." While the piece is influenced by the music of ancient and recent ritual cultures far from the Amazon basin - from the deserts of the Middle East to the dance floors of Europe - it also about learning and singing a song that allows us to speak to the gods.

This piece is scored: 3222/4331/3 perc/strings/e. bass.