Birch Tree On A Riverbank (2025)

for Soprano and Piano

Duration: 10 min

Program Note

Birch Tree On A Riverbank was commissioned by Margaret Hinchliffe and Rose Kearin for their recital “No More Walks in the Wood”. This piece is both a celebration of the natural world, and a pensive reflection on climate change. It places two images in dialogue: The first - a healthy birch tree growing on a riverbank, the second - the aftermath of a forest fire. As our climate changes, increasing drought conditions will cause wildfires to become more frequent and severe, potentially destroying places that we hold dear.

I conceived of Birch Tree On A Riverbank as a single scene in three movements.

I. BIRCH TREE (OPENING)

We rest our tired feet in a shallow stream. This is a resting place we have known since childhood, a place we visit when we are emotionally and physically exhausted. Above us hang the branches of a birch tree, leaning over the riverbank, its yellow leaves providing welcome shade. The birch tree stands steady beside us, its quiet presence holding space for rest and emotional release.

II. AFTERMATH OF A WILDFIRE (MEMORY)

The bucolic scene is interrupted by a memory - we are driving through the mountains of New Mexico, through endless acres of pine forests. Our car crests the top of a hill, and suddenly the view changes. Across the valley, black, limbless trees puncture the hillsides. The smell of smoke hangs in the air. We never knew these trees, but we mourn for them, and for the countless acres burning every year.

III. BIRCH TREE (RETURN)

We return to the present, to the stream, the sunlight, and our birch tree. But now, with the memory of the wildfire in mind, we see the scene through a different lens. The shallow water, the dry river stones, the wilting trees - all signs of drought. Could this forest, that has been with us since childhood, dry out and burn like those mountains in New Mexico? The birch tree again offers its calm. We breathe, and regain our presence. For the moment, there is still beauty and rest. We stand in the stream, in the shade of yellow leaves.

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