A Glimpse of the Eternal

A Glimpse of the Eternal was commissioned by Dr. Richard Mark Heidel and the University of Iowa Symphony Band in celebration of the opening of the School of Music’s brand new Voxman Music Building. The theme of the concert was “coming home,” and I knew I wanted to incorporate that idea into the work in some way. I decided to go to an Iowa-born poet, Ted Kooser (2004–2006 U.S. Poet Laureate, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in poetry), for inspiration. I’ve long been a fan of Kooser’s poetry; I feel he captures the beauty and essence of the Midwest like no other. While the music is not directly related to the poem which shares the same title, I still wanted the abstract connection to exist. Further, the title relates to this specific concert in that for many, it was their first visit to the new Voxman Music Building: an amazing structure that will serve as the home for the University of Iowa School of Music for years to come.

• Performed by the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble at the 2017 CBDNA Conference
• Performed by the Kell High School Wind Ensemble at the 2017 Midwest Clinic