I wrote “Farewell Dream Garden” for the International “Music in the Garden” Composers’ Competition Wroclaw – Krakow 2010/2011. The competition was sponsored by the Botanical Gardens of Wroclaw to commemorate the 200th anniversary of their founding. The guidelines of the competition suggested a musical portrayal of times of day in the garden and I chose to depict nighttime, or more specifically, dreaming. My idea of a night garden is deeply lyrical, emotional, and colorful. Broadly arching phrases of the soprano vocalise, ebbs and flows of the string orchestra, and intricate flute textures all compound to make “Farewell” one of my most romantic and spectacular compositions to date. The composition won the second prize in the competition.

Past performances:

• Sylwia Olszyńska, soprano, and Renata Guzik, flute, with The Orpheus Orchestra under the direction of Jan Baryła at the Wrocław University in Poland, May 2011 (premiere)