Performed by Marnie Setka-Mooney, soprano and Kathryn Le Gros, piano.
In 1963, Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" was published.   It imagined a  world without the sounds of nature, a warning  about the use of pesticides that were killing all kinds of wildlife,  particularly birds.  Harmful pesticides were banned and many  bird populations recovered but now many of our migratory birds  are threatened again by habitat loss and climate change. Many  bird species are close to the hearts of Canadians as our natural   environment is part of our identity, the loon has a special place  on our dollar  coin.  The return of migratory birds in the spring  heralds the end of our cold,  dark  winter and the spring chorus  can be heard even in our cities. This piece is about the place of  those bird songs in our lives and their potential loss.

Once I Heard

This is from a set of pieces celebrating Vancouver Island's special places:
You follow the path going up, zigzagging as you go, stepping from rock to rock, choosing carefully where to step.  As you reach the top everything opens up.  You find the grassy meadow, dotted with Garry Oaks, their grey gnarled limbs reaching to the sky.  A gentle breeze rustles through the dry grasses.  In spring the purple camas, and other delicate flowers give colour to the meadow.  As you turn to go, the view from the meadow catches your eye, sometimes over the city, sometimes over the strait, and you pause for just a few minutes more.

Garry Oak Meadows

This is from a set of pieces celebrating Vancouver Island's special places:
It’s a hot afternoon in August.  You sit on a bench, hidden away in the rose garden, reading a book, sometimes dozing as you listen to the bees and catch the sweet scent drifting on a light breeze.  The beds are laid out neatly, with all kinds of different roses, different colours, from many different places.  They are all gathered here, in this peaceful place, an oasis, hidden from the city around it.

The Rose Garden

A haunting duet between solo flute and loon calls recorded by John Neville of Neville Recordings

Calling,  March 4th

A piece for solo flute and recordings of bells.  Stained glass often makes us think of church windows, this piece plays on that with the interplay between the flute and different bell sounds

Stained Glass

Inner Landscapes play with the idea of your own thoughts, the places your mind goes to when you have time to just think.  It can be quiet and reflective, but then it gets more rhythmic, busier, thoughts and ideas come at you from all different places.

Inner Landscapes

Written as a commission for Open Doors Milwaukee to celebrate the history of the Milwaukee Gaslight Building. Built in 1904 to convert coal to gas for street lighting and domestic lighting, it's now home to the Zimmerman Design Company

Gaslight 1904

The first part of this piece was written for a documentary on Stone Sheep, found in northern B.C.  They live in the mountains, above the treeline and often above the clouds.  This piece reflects that, but also the joy in the image of 'dancing above the clouds'

Dancing Above the Clouds

This haunting piece describes a busy crossroads, many cultures, many people coming together briefly as they are on their way somewhere else.

Crossroads

This is a fun, dance like piece, with only a bow to the tango rhythms.

Mango Tango II

Inspired by Telemann's Fantasies for solo flute, this one is for alto flute, at times haunting, at times playful. A new take on an old idea.

Fantasy No.1

Performed by the SOCCO string quartet, this piece was inspired when I saw a number of small birds chasing a raven, each getting close to harass it, then quickly flying out of the larger bird's reach.  The raven seemed unperturbed and maintained its' dignity as it continued on its' way.  There was so much  energy and acrobatic flying on the parts of the smaller birds, I found I had to stand and watch.  In the piece, this is reflected in the short fragments, that move between the members of the quartet.  A more sedate, calm melody which appears in the middle, represents the raven. 
For first nation cultures in the northwest, the raven also represents creativity and intelligence. As I thought more about this piece, I felt that as a composer I am often 'chasing the raven', trying to capture new ideas and inspiration, making this piece as much about my own creative process, as the birds I saw that day.

Diane Berry