Just got back from glorious sunny & warm vacation on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, where my family has gone for a week or two each winter for a few years now... while there, I did some thinking and planning for my orchestra piece "Celebration of the Deep", still struggling to figure out how to get the strings to sound like the ocean in the beginning. Since I was AT the ocean while on Tortola, thought it would be a good time to brainstorm, and it was. I realized that the waves are heard from the left, from the right, in stereo that is not at all matched up. So from that, I got the idea of alternating what section is providing motion, while the others hold on steady long bows, or maybe just detache bows on the same note rather than a wavy up and down a fourth kind of thing. Hm. I can see I should attach pictures of what I'm talking about.

I want the "ocean" part to be there, but not to draw too much attention, since I want the theme of the deep, played by the french horns to predominate. Cayenna Ponchione, the wonderful conductor of the Ithaca Community Orchestra, has said that I can have a run-through some time this spring, in preparation for the group playing my piece in the fall. That would give me a chance to hear some ideas!

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