Birch Patterns

Birch Patterns, written for Splinter Reeds, is inspired by the patterns that appear and are copied through the various layers of birch bark. The thin, paper-like bark is marked with short, dark, intermittent lines that seem to suggest a kind of score or communication. The material and modes of interaction each player has with the electronics, the score and the ensemble come from my experiences as a performer and the different ways I approach music and my instruments when I am “practicing” and “performing,” alone and with a group. The electronics and the instrumentalists are spatialized through multichannel diffusion and movement in the space.

The piece was premiered at a concert produced by Vancouver New Music on March 16, 2020.

Here is a recording of that performance: