Daylily: a Northern Nocturne

Blame my hopeful-romantic tendencies, but I really enjoy writing music for musician couples (and have relished writing pieces for my various love interests, like Fantasia Olora and Among Darkened Peonies), and have had two opportunities to do that this season: the first was in Terra Liberi, where I wrote several short duet-like passages for Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Catherine French and her husband Joel Moerschel. The second is in Daylily, a serenade for violinist Julie Fox Henson and cellist Alan Henson. Julie is the assistant concertmaster of the De Moines Symphony and Alan is currently principal cello of the Central Iowa Symphony. If you’ve been following my work, you know my propensity towards subjects stemming from the natural world, and as a child I heard Julie play the “Orange Blossom Special” several times – and there just so happens to be a type of daylily called the Northern Nocturne, all aspects of which lend themselves beautifully to a musical composition. Julie and Alan will premiere this short piece at a private event in Missouri later this month.