Together, these three pieces form the "Earth" trilogy—a collection inspired by enthusiasm for space exploration and my profound love of the earth.
Earth and the Seas is a piece I composed earlier this year and is designed to conjure up images of the ocean as viewed from the skies. While I've certainly never myself had the good fortune of venturing into space (one day, fingers crossed), I have many times flown from the US to the UK. The aerial view—albeit repetitive—is mesmerizing.
Earth and the Dawn was actually composed from a visitors couch at a hospital in Indianapolis. It was here that my wife, Tarah, recovered from the events of September 2, 2014—the night she unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest. This composition is very much a reflection of how I felt during the immediate aftermath of that night—lonely, loved, terrified, hopeful, and contemplative. The name "Tarah" shares its pronunciation with "Terra" (Latin for "Earth"), while "Dawn" is Tarah's middle name.
Finally, Earth and the Stars ties in to my love of star gazing and to the ongoing hope that humanity will continue to make greater strides toward the unknown. It has been a life long dream of mine to venture into space during my lifetime. With space tourism in its infancy, there has never been a better time in human history for this dream to become a reality. So here's to being a dreamer.