I just returned from a ten-day residency at the Wyoming Festival-New Music in the Mountains in Grand Teton National Park. The festival is the brain-child of composer Anne Guzzo of the University of Wyoming, and is in its second year. The program invites six composers from a pool of applicants to attend the festival, which is held at the University of Wyoming-Grand Teton National Park Research Station located about an hour north of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Also in residence is a featured composer who conducts seminars and offers private one-on-one sessions with the composition fellows to review their own music. Composer Forrest Pierce from the University of Kansas served in that role. In last years' inaugural event, Alex Shapiro was the composer-in-residence.

The fesitvals' focus was on the natural environemt of the park and the upcoming full solar eclipse, which will pass directly over the park on August 21st. Each composer was asked to write a string ensemble piece, from solo to quintet, up to seven minutes in length within those guidelines. All pieces were rehearsed and performed by string players drawn from the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, which was performing concurrently at its own festival in Teton Village during the Wyoming Festival. The performers included Holly Mulcahy - principal violinist of the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, Mary Corbett - violinist with the Florida Orchestra, Anna Kruger - acting principal violist of the San Francisco Ballet, Amy Leung - freelance cellist in San Francisco, and Rick Barber - principal bassist of the National Symphony Orchestra. The concert was held on Thursday, August 10 at the historic AMK Ranch, which featured world premieres of eight pieces by the composer fellows and program director Anne Guzzo and composer-in-residence Forrest Pierce. Performing my work Carmina solis et lunae were Holly Mulcahy, Anna Kruger and Rick Barber. A recording of the event will follow shortly.