Composer’s Note:

One thing Midwesterners share is an affinity to talk about the current, local weather. Granted, it seems that weather in this part of the United States is in constant flux. The first movement of this work, Dakota Winter (tenor sax and piano) depicts this instability that is especially present in the winter months. The second movement, Calm (soprano sax and piano), aurally illustrates the quiet stillness of an open field or plain after a large snowstorm. The final movement, Snow Squall (alto sax and piano), is a short movement that represents a sudden, short, intense burst of heavy snow and strong winds that occurred in Moorhead, MN on the day of the commission.