Program Notes

This piece was inspired by a J.R.R. Tolkien novel with a painter who dreams of completing a beautiful tree. He becomes too focused on perfecting each individual leaf, and distracted by the needs of his neighbors, ultimately passes away without completing the tree.

The things we do every day may seem trivial, but the leaves we each create come together, one by one, to form a large and beautiful tree. In time, that tree can provide a place where someone may rest in its shade. In this sense, each of us is like a beautifully drawn leaf.