About Whispers on the Wind

The process for Whispers on the Wind began with an opportunity to propose a work for a concert centered around climate change. The monarch butterfly had long been a source of inspiration for me, and I had recently learned of their sharp decline due to climate change, habitat loss, and other environmental shifts. I entered this composition with three goals: to foster an emotional connection with the natural world and bring attention to the monarch's struggle; to convey that small, individual species are critical to the broader ecological system and that their loss echoes a larger environmental imbalance; and to raise awareness of climate change through a personal, relatable lens. I chose to set Robert Frost's My Butterfly for the emotionality it captured: a fleeting beauty and the sorrow of loss. Like Frost's butterfly, the monarch's survival is uncertain. The piece has two main motivic areas composed to mimic the flapping of butterfly wings and the fleeting motion of flight. By the end, the wings no longer flap—the motive has slowed and evolved so it no longer imitates the monarch's motion. Whispers on the Wind hopes to capture the beauty and fragility of their existence and reflect the ecological crisis that jeopardizes not only these butterflies, but our own shared environment.