For some time, my musical interests led to visiting various scenic locales in Michigan, the state where I was born and raised. For 22 years of my life, I was raised by my family; received my education through Michigan schools up to my Bachelor’s degree; made a number of close friends and colleagues; and, I met the most wonderful woman in the world whom I would eventually marry. Throughout my childhood and into the beginning of my adult life, as my musical interests continued to develop, so did my appreciation for some of Michigan’s most beautiful scenic landscapes. The more I travelled, and the more places I visited in this state, the more I began to feel as if there was something inherently spiritual with the nature of this place. This grew into a love for nature as a whole and became a concept I began to frequently explore in my music. The Michigan Triptych gave me this opportunity to reconnect with that part of nature that I adore about this state.

The three pieces that were compiled into this triptych each explores this idea in their own way. The Great River Rapid Chase, the first piece in the triptych and the second to be written, is the most conceptual of the three works and creates a fast-paced adventure through the rivers and forests of the Michigan wilderness. The Golden Pier, the second piece of the triptych and the last to be written, creates a musical depiction of the Grand Haven Lighthouse and Pier, notably at sunset. Finally,The Straits of Mackinac, the last piece in the triptych and the first to be written, creates a musical depiction of its namesake as well as Mackinac Island and the surrounding area between Michigan’s two peninsulas.

From an educational perspective, the band version of The Michigan Triptych offers several different musical ideas for the ensemble to explore. The Great River Rapid Chase uses muted brass, alternating rhythmic and meter changes, and an extended technique in which several players are asked to blow air through their instrument at no pitch. The Golden Pier also includes this technique and adds the use of an ocean drum in the percussion section, solo passages throughout the band, and five-count phrases with alternating divisions to change the feeling of how these phrases are shaped. The Straits of Mackinac borrows this idea in its first half through the use of alternating meter, while the second half of the piece returns to the driving energy and motion of The Great River Rapid Chase.

The flex version of The Michigan Triptych retains the core essence and conceptual ideas I originally intended for each work as much as possible. All three pieces are additionally enhanced with optional colors not originally present in the original versions for concert band, including keyboards, harp, guitars, and synthesizers.

It is my hope that this triptych can musically conjure up even an inkling of the natural beauty and wonder that Michigan has to offer and what that has meant to me for much of my life. And, I hope that it inspires those who have not visited this state to seek out some of these national treasures throughout their own adventures.