Symphony No. 1

When I was younger my family and I would travel down to Cape Cod for a week in July, a region of Massachusetts where lighthouses dominate the coast families of whales live peacefully in the Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket Sound, Buzzards Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean, and home to The Canal, one of the greatest builds in America. This area has always been special to me; it’s a place where people and families come together to be at peace and to enjoy life to its fullest. This piece contains three movements, each of which describes a particular aspect of the true spirit of the Cape.

I may have taken multiple trips down to the Cape, taking in the sights, the sounds, smells, and the wonderful tastes; however, I have never fully understood the true spirit and meaning of the Cape. I took a day to travel down to the Cape to search for that spirit. I crossed the Bourne Bridge that connects the mainland of Massachusetts to the Cape at approximately 6 A.M. and spent the entire day traveling around the region to famous landmarks, National Beaches, and took a whale watching tour. After the long travel day visiting historical lighthouses, trudging through miles of thick sand, and eating the most delicious grilled scallops I’ve ever tasted, I got what I needed to reflect the spirit of Cape Cod.

There are many sounds in this piece that reflect the sounds that can heard throughout the Cape: wind gusts, ocean waves, seagulls, tugboats, Morse Code communications, whale songs, and tools and dynamite blasting that could be heard during the building of the Canal. The melodies that reflect the tall, strong, and epic lighthouses, the beautiful and peaceful sounds of whales singing, and the mechanical sounds of the building of the bridges and the canal where the Coast Guard song Semper Paratus can be heard through the ships and the bases. My hope is that, through this music, the spirit of Cape Cod will speak to audience members everywhere and that families will have an opportunity to experience this wonderful and magical place.