Wandering

Alison P.

• Artist Statement

  "Wandering" is a piece that tells the story of a traveler hiking up a mountain. During the pandemic, my family connected by hiking. This piece represents the curiosity I felt on these hikes, and takes inspiration from my favorite fantasy stories. In this piece, I was exploring how different instruments could represent different emotions or aspects of nature; for example, the conga drum is the traveler’s inner doubt, and the clarinet and oboe melody is a duet of birdsong. The path gets steeper as tensions rise during the trumpet solo, culminating in the climax of the piece when the wanderer reaches the summit. The harmonized violins are the breeze, the flutes are the leaves rustling in the wind, and the solo clarinet represents the traveler’s feelings of tranquility and satisfaction. The piece concludes with a callback to the original melody as the traveler begins the descent, ready for another adventure.

• Creative Statement

  To me, creativity means using music to tap into emotional truths that words can't express. It means being open minded and willing to try new things. Being creative means you have a vision, but you can explore beyond it too.