Shine commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Shine is a short work for orchestra commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for their Young People's Concert series. The work employs melodies by winners of the CSO's Melody Contest: students of the fifth through eighth grade music classes at Holy Family School in Covington, KY.
The title is inspired by the name the seventh/eighth grade class gave their melody, "Shine Bright." Light is often an important motif in my work (see LUX, Lux Aeterna, and Mantras), so I was drawn to this melody. Drawing on my own struggles with bullying and conformity when I was this age, I wrote this work in the hopes that these children find the strength to always let their true self shine bright.