Four Places on Lake Michigan
for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and audio playback
Four Places on Lake Michigan was commissioned by the American Wild Ensemble, who undertook a project to commission several new works inspired by the American Great Lakes. As a native of the Chicagoland area and someone who spent most of my life near Lake Michigan, I chose to create four movements inspired by places and events on the lake which were important to me. Each movement is dedicated to loved ones and friends who I either shared the experience with, or who were on my mind while there.
I. Promontory Point – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to violist Michael Hall, and composers Sky Macklay and Sam Pluta, this movement is inspired by a group outing to this park on the lake on September 27, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. After months of isolation, this visit with dear friends and musical collaborators was a much needed moment of bonding, and filled me with hope for the future.
II. The Crystal Gardens, Navy Pier – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to Kate and Jarrad Bittner, this movement is inspired by the indoor botanical garden at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Home to dozens of palm trees, this glass atrium features leapfrog fountains which shoot intermittently around the space, forming arches of water for guests to walk under. While I had the pleasure of visiting this space throughout my childhood, this movement is dedicated to a visit to the gardens and Navy Pier on January 1, 2012 with Kate and Jarrad.
III. Boynton Chapel, Björklunden vid Sjön – Bailey’s Harbor, WI
Dedicated to my mother, Delphine Vaughn-Dudley, this movement is inspired by my time at Björklunden vid Sjön, a lodge owned and operated by my alma mater, Lawrence University. In the summer of 2007, I was employed as a student worker here. One of my duties was to give tours of the Boynton Chapel, which was designed and built by hand by Winifred and Donald Boynton, the former owners of the grounds. In between tours, I’d teach myself how to play the small pump organ in the chapel, or sit by the lake and think about my family and friends back in Chicago. This movement employs quotes from Schubert’s “Der Tod und das Mädchen,” a work that I’ve often enjoyed to play on the piano, and “How Great Thou Art,” my mother’s favorite hymn.
IV. The Air and Water Show – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to my father, Gregory Dudley, this movement is inspired by our family’s several trips to the annual Air and Water Show on the lake. As a child, I did not always enjoy attending this event, yet as I got older, I realized it probably meant a lot to my father, who’s own late father, ETC Bev Dudley served aboard the USS Enterprise in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Throughout the movement, the instruments mimic the roar of plane and boat engines, and the general wonder and excitement the event evokes.
I. Promontory Point – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to violist Michael Hall, and composers Sky Macklay and Sam Pluta, this movement is inspired by a group outing to this park on the lake on September 27, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. After months of isolation, this visit with dear friends and musical collaborators was a much needed moment of bonding, and filled me with hope for the future.
II. The Crystal Gardens, Navy Pier – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to Kate and Jarrad Bittner, this movement is inspired by the indoor botanical garden at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Home to dozens of palm trees, this glass atrium features leapfrog fountains which shoot intermittently around the space, forming arches of water for guests to walk under. While I had the pleasure of visiting this space throughout my childhood, this movement is dedicated to a visit to the gardens and Navy Pier on January 1, 2012 with Kate and Jarrad.
III. Boynton Chapel, Björklunden vid Sjön – Bailey’s Harbor, WI
Dedicated to my mother, Delphine Vaughn-Dudley, this movement is inspired by my time at Björklunden vid Sjön, a lodge owned and operated by my alma mater, Lawrence University. In the summer of 2007, I was employed as a student worker here. One of my duties was to give tours of the Boynton Chapel, which was designed and built by hand by Winifred and Donald Boynton, the former owners of the grounds. In between tours, I’d teach myself how to play the small pump organ in the chapel, or sit by the lake and think about my family and friends back in Chicago. This movement employs quotes from Schubert’s “Der Tod und das Mädchen,” a work that I’ve often enjoyed to play on the piano, and “How Great Thou Art,” my mother’s favorite hymn.
IV. The Air and Water Show – Chicago, IL
Dedicated to my father, Gregory Dudley, this movement is inspired by our family’s several trips to the annual Air and Water Show on the lake. As a child, I did not always enjoy attending this event, yet as I got older, I realized it probably meant a lot to my father, who’s own late father, ETC Bev Dudley served aboard the USS Enterprise in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Throughout the movement, the instruments mimic the roar of plane and boat engines, and the general wonder and excitement the event evokes.