Program Note
I met Neal Springer, director of the W.P. Clements High School String Orchestra, at my first ever Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. That was December 2019. We quickly decided to do a consortium together for his ensemble and then went back to our respective states and teaching institutions. Just a few months later we were in the midst of uncertainty and instability. Obviously the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were a whirlwind of finding safety from exposure and making sure we had enough income to weather anything. It was dizzying, to say the least and… I still had to create music.
While Neal and I were discussing the initial concepts for this work, I was consistently inspired by student protesters from around the country. There were a lot of reasons to protest, and those are not my stories to tell. What I did find in the midst of tragedy and loss was inspiration in watching young people raise their voices. Ultimately I named this piece for the energy I saw that year. Every student protester seemed like a little ember with the potential energy to set the world alight, a light that had burned out in me until I saw them. At a time when I had no extra energy to give, the next generation was there to pick up the mantle and reenergize us all. They were the sparks on the wind, no one knew which one would catch and start the wildfire of change.
Consortium Members:
W.P. Clements High School
Steven F. Austin High School
John Foster Dulles High School
William B. Travis High School Klein High School
Rick Reedy High School
Lebanon Trails High School
Alexandria Area High School
—Jamie Leigh Sampson
While Neal and I were discussing the initial concepts for this work, I was consistently inspired by student protesters from around the country. There were a lot of reasons to protest, and those are not my stories to tell. What I did find in the midst of tragedy and loss was inspiration in watching young people raise their voices. Ultimately I named this piece for the energy I saw that year. Every student protester seemed like a little ember with the potential energy to set the world alight, a light that had burned out in me until I saw them. At a time when I had no extra energy to give, the next generation was there to pick up the mantle and reenergize us all. They were the sparks on the wind, no one knew which one would catch and start the wildfire of change.
Consortium Members:
W.P. Clements High School
Steven F. Austin High School
John Foster Dulles High School
William B. Travis High School Klein High School
Rick Reedy High School
Lebanon Trails High School
Alexandria Area High School
—Jamie Leigh Sampson
Reproduction Notice:
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.
This program note may be freely reproduced in concert programs, provided that proper credit is given to the composer.