Melusina Calls to the Loon

Description

Violin — In 1999, while working on my graduate studies in Chicago, I had the great fortune ofbeing selected as an artist-in-residence at Isle Royale National Park. I didn’t know it atthe time, but the experience would prove to be life-altering—one that ultimately inspiredme to leave Chicago without a clear plan and move to the Upper Peninsula, where I’velived ever since.From the moment I arrived at the park, I was captivated by the unfamiliar sights andsounds that surrounded me—so different from the urban soundscape of Chicago. It wasthere that I first heard a white-throated sparrow, and I was so transfixed by its song thatI spent the following weeks trying to identify all the new sounds I encountered.Each night, as I walked back to my cabin, I would hear the calls of loons, the chattering ofsquirrels, the chirping of frogs, birdsong, and the constant motion of Lake Superior. Onthese walks, I often invented stories inspired by the sounds around me. One of thosestories imagined a conversation between a mermaid and a loon, plaintively calling backand forth in the dark—each enchanted by the other’s music, trying to imitate each other’ssong. An evocative and meditative work for solo violin and optional fixed media.  Engage your audience in the magical and peaceful morning sounds of Isle Royale National Park.

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