Episode 7: Boreal Pines

Episode Links:
-purchase Boreal Pines
-Fort McMurray wildfire documentary

Audio credits for this episode:
-Ashley Brockway (audio clip)
-University of Southern Mississippi Symphonic Winds

Please visit caitnishimura.com for perusal scores, recordings, program notes, and more info about me and my work. Connect with me on social media: @composercait

If you have a question, submit it here and it may be answered during a future episode.

Thank you for listening!

Transcript

00:01
Hello and welcome back to another episode of the composer cait podcast. My name is Cait Nishimura and I'm so happy you've chosen to spend some time listening to me talk today. I really appreciate it. I would also really appreciate it if you would follow or subscribe to my podcast on whichever platform you use. And if you're listening on an app right now, it would be amazing if you could leave me a rating or a review. After doing a whole episode of Q&A last time,

00:30
I'm excited to get into another piece of music today. I've got some audio clips for you, some nature facts, of course, a really great segment from a collaborator. It's gonna be fun. So let's get into the piece for this episode, which is Boreal Pines. Boreal Pines is a piece for concert band at the grade 3.5 level. It is between four and five minutes in duration, depending on the pacing of each performance, and I'll elaborate in a little bit.

01:00
The piece was commissioned by Ashley Brockway for the concert band at Ecole McTavish High School in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. If you don't know where Fort McMurray is, you can take a second and look it up on a map so you can get a sense of where this place is. It's situated in the northeastern part of the province of Alberta in the Athabasca oil sands within the Canadian boreal forest. In early May 2016,

01:27
There was a devastating wildfire that forced the evacuation of 88,000 people. The entire town of Fort McMurray was under a mandatory evacuation order and state of emergency. This was the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history. The fire spread throughout northern Alberta and into Saskatchewan, spreading to over 1,500,000 acres before finally being declared under control.

01:57
You can imagine the level of destruction and devastation this had on the entire region and how life-altering this was for many residents of the town and surrounding areas, and of course the impact on the environment. Even after people were able to return to their homes or rebuild if necessary, this fire made a long-lasting impact that was felt for many years afterwards and even still to this day. So this was the topic I was asked to write about for this commission.

02:22
Ashley Brockway is a teacher at McTavish High School, and I first heard from Ashley in 2020 when she reached out to schedule a virtual visit with her ensemble who had been working on my piece, Chasing Sunlight. We actually had to wait a bit to schedule something because our initial conversation took place right around the time that schools were first closing for the COVID-19 pandemic and moving to online learning.

02:48
She actually sent me a video of her class's first attempt at playing together online. And you have to remember that this was early pandemic days. Zoom and other technologies have greatly improved since then. Back then, it was really difficult, if not impossible, really to play together remotely. So she sent me this video of her students playing Chasing Sunlight as a way of testing out what was possible for them in an online class meeting.

03:16
She called it a train wreck and it totally was. It was just chaos. Everyone playing fragments of my piece overlapping each other and it was very funny. But it was one of those moments that just made my day or my whole week at that point. Hearing kids desperately trying to make music happen in this weird new format of learning was really inspiring to me despite all the challenges.

03:42
A while later, we were able to have an online meeting all together, and the students asked me a lot of questions about composing and music and being an artist, being a human. At the time, Fort McMurray was experiencing a pretty intense flood that actually had about 20,000 people being evacuated, so the students were understandably a bit preoccupied at this time, especially with this being just a few years after the wildfire in 2016.

04:11
But we had such a great conversation, and this is what led to the idea to collaborate on a commission. Ashley wrote in an email that she was thinking about having a piece commissioned to commemorate the anniversary of the wildfire, but specifically centered around resilience and hope. She said, quote, "'I'm not from Fort McMurray, but I'm always floored by the way our community comes together to help each other during these crazy times. It's something I never expected to find when I came out here to teach.'"

04:42
After some further discussion with Ashley and some research on my part to learn more about this whole story, it was pretty clear that this commission idea aligned really well with my values, what I enjoy writing music about, and I could already feel the pull of creative energy. Once we agreed on the details of the project, I met with the students again online to get their input. This is something that I really like to do when beginning a new commission so that I

05:11
I'm able to represent the community I'm writing for as best as I can. I asked the students what story they would like me to tell through the music, what they would like me and others to know about their town, how their community was impacted by the fire, and I asked them what gives them hope. Their stories and anecdotes and opinions and requests were so full of emotion and love and hope.

05:38
and I knew right away that I had more than enough to work with to create something really special.

05:46
I found some notes from this time in one of my old sketchbooks, and the overwhelming concept was that everyone wanted to focus on hope rather than despair, on light over darkness, on resilience and strength rather than sorrow and grief. They wanted something that would reflect their views on community and healing and helping and lifting one another up, rather than having a piece of music that depicted the fire itself.

06:14
I think it was also interesting that I was working on this project during the first year of the pandemic. The word resilience was thrown around a lot during that time, not just in Fort McMurray, in the context of rebuilding their community, but in the global context as well, because we were all navigating, as they said, unprecedented times. So wanting to avoid being too on the nose and writing a piece explicitly about resilience during this time.

06:44
I did what I often do, and I went to nature for guidance and inspiration. So I had this idea to compare the resilience and strength and community mindset of the people of Fort McMurray to the ecosystems that they're surrounded by. I did quite the deep dive on the boreal forest, and I ended up learning a lot. I am not a scientist, but I am a teacher, so I will briefly summarize what I learned.

07:13
There are four main types of forest, tropical, subtropical, temperate, and boreal. Boreal forests cover a vast amount of Canada and Alaska and other northern regions of the world like Russia. They contain deciduous and coniferous trees as well as wildlife that are able to withstand very cold temperatures.

07:35
These forests purify the air and water, they store carbon, and therefore they play a big role in regulating the climate of the whole world. About a third of the world's boreal zone falls within Canada. Canada's forests are often portrayed as these pristine, ancient wilderness areas with old growth forests and things like that, but in reality, the boreal forest is made up of trees

08:02
that are relatively young compared to temperate forests, and that continually renew themselves through natural disturbances such as forest fires. In fact, some species of trees in the boreal forest depend on fire for their regeneration. Fire has an important ecological influence at all levels of the boreal forest. It removes old or decaying trees to allow space for the next generation of trees to germinate and grow.

08:30
It exposes the land to sunlight again and releases nutrients from the trees that support the entire ecosystem. The biodiversity of northern boreal forests is sometimes called pyrodiversity because of how connected it is to fire. In my reading, I learned about jack pines and lodgepole pines, and how they both require the heat of fire to release their seeds.

08:57
They also require mineral soil that is only exposed after a burn, as well as full sunlight that is only possible with the clearing of larger trees and other species. Jack pine and lodgepole pine are two species of trees that depend on fire to regenerate, offering a powerful symbol of patience, trust, determination, interconnectedness, and of course, resilience. And this is how I came to the title of my piece, Boreal Pines.

09:27
One question that I'm asked pretty often is whether I write my music chronologically from beginning to end, or just generally how I approach structuring my work. So I rarely start at the beginning, and this piece is definitely an example of that. I really jumped around in the process of constructing this one. The very first thing I wrote for this piece is a theme that isn't introduced until over halfway through the piece.

09:55
This theme felt hopeful to me, full of light, starting small like something growing from a seed and then starting to reach out and branch out and expand and take up more and more space as it grows. I started out with the flute because Ashley, the teacher, is a flute player and it was her support and love and compassion that allowed her students to connect and learn and grow as well. I also loosely based this melody and rhythm

10:23
off of the main melody in my piece, Chasing Sunlight, which I haven't done a podcast episode about yet, but if you know it, you'll hear the influence here. This was the piece that Ashley's class and band had been working on and was really familiar with, and that's how they got to know me and my music. So I thought it would be nice to include an ever so subtle nod to Chasing Sunlight in Boreal Pines. So here's what this theme sounded like in its first form before orchestrating it.

10:53
This is me playing through it on a digital piano in my apartment in Toronto. You can hear my partner Brian moving around in the background, I think putting away dishes or something, which is pretty common in a lot of my recordings as I'm brainstorming and working things out in pieces. I really like that these voice memos kind of just capture true moments in my real life. So here's a clip of me playing this first theme that I wrote for Boreal Pines.

12:45
And here is what that section turned into once I fully orchestrated it and it became a band piece.

14:25
After working out this section, I had to figure out where I wanted to place it. I understood that my task was to compose something beautiful and hopeful, but it didn't feel right to completely ignore the significance of the fire itself and the damage both physically and emotionally that this all caused. So I decided on this format. The piece opens with darkness, uncertainty,

14:52
murky sounds and textures created by the use of aleatoric cells layered over a few chords that feel a bit heavy, like yearning and expressing pain. Then we move into a section that is more measured, majestic, and stately. I wanted to express the vast devastation as if standing somewhere at the edge of the forest after it had burned, looking out at the flattened area and really seeing what had happened and taking it all in.

15:22
And then I imagined that people started coming together, sharing their experiences, asking for and offering help, joining forces, processing their shared experience by talking and just by being together. To achieve this, I bring back the aleatoric passages again, but this time layered over slightly more positive sounding chords, hinting at hope and the emergence of light. From there, I transition into the first theme I wrote, the one that I shared with you.

15:50
and then I combine a bunch of previous ideas together from there until the end of the piece. In case you haven't heard the term before, aleatoric music is a form of music that includes an element of improvisation, but usually within a specified structure. I've seen it defined as structured randomness, chance music, or indeterminate music.

16:15
The notation is typically indicated by surrounding a group of specific notes or pitches with a square or rectangular box, with some sort of marking to indicate duration, such as a line with an arrow or an actual time stamp, to tell musicians how long to play these notes contained within the box. Rather than a completely open-ended, play-anything sort of chaos situation,

16:40
Aleatoric music gives the composer the option to select exactly which notes they want to include, but to leave the timing up to the players, and therefore creating a unique texture across the ensemble each time the piece is performed. In Boreal Pines, I placed certain notes that I wanted to hear within rectangular boxes, starting at the time in the score when I wanted each instrument to join in, while other instruments were given regular music notation with longer held notes.

17:09
to lay the foundation underneath this aleatoric stuff. The idea with aleatoric cells is not necessarily to play the notes in the box constantly without stopping, but more so to listen across the ensemble and fade in and out of the texture intentionally. So two people playing the same part in the same section should be playing the notes in their own unique way with their own sense of pacing.

17:36
taking space when they feel it's right, playing a little more soloistically when they feel it's right. This is a really tricky concept for music students who are used to playing in unison with their stand partners, and it can take some getting used to for everyone, conductors included. We are all used to working hard to play together and not deviate from what's written. So seeing this kind of music is a bit scary and unfamiliar, but to me, that's all the more reason to try it.

18:05
So as an example, in the opening section of this piece, I wanted it to sound a bit scattered, like I said, a bit murky and dark and unclear to depict the feelings associated with the wildfire. Here's what this sounds like.

19:08
I mentioned at the beginning of this episode that this piece varies in length, and this is why. Some groups move through the aleatoric sections of the piece more quickly than others, some really take their time, so the piece can be anywhere from 4 minutes to 5 minutes or more depending on how long you take as a group to get through these sections. My tip to people working on this piece is to not get attached to the way these sections of the piece sound and feel.

19:37
they should be slightly different each time you play through the piece. This can be a real adjustment conceptually, so this piece offers something really cool to work on as a group. See how many ways you can collectively change the sound. Maybe as a group, you can try having certain instruments play louder or softer than others, or have the notes change more rapidly or slowly at certain points, and just see how that changes the overall sound and feel of the piece. And have fun with it!

20:06
I know this might be an unfamiliar music technique, but it shouldn't be stressful. It should be an opportunity to try something new. The recording that I've been playing excerpts from is from a live performance of Boreal Pines by the University of Southern Mississippi Symphonic Winds in May 2023. You can hear the entire performance recording on my website. The link is in the show notes.

20:31
I was so impressed when I heard this recording. I knew right away that I wanted to make it my reference recording for this piece, because it does such a good job of representing what this piece can be, and they really extend those aleatoric sections, allow those moments to breathe and develop and grow, and I feel that the tempo changes throughout the different sections of the piece are really aligned with what I had in mind, and it's just such a good representation of...

21:00
various emotions and colours and textures I think that I was going for with this piece, so really really happy with this recording and I highly recommend that you take the time to listen to the whole thing. I think that hearing this recording will make you want to try this piece. I wanted to mention some other performances that are meaningful to me as well. In June 2022, this piece was performed by the Rouge River Winds conducted by my friend Pratik Gandhi.

21:29
This is a community band in the Toronto area, and I used to play with this band before I moved. I used to play bass clarinet in the Rouge River Winds. So it was really special to me that this ensemble included Boreal Pines on what was one of their first concerts back after everything came to a halt during the pandemic. And speaking of my friend Pratik, he also programmed this piece on a recent concert in December, 2023 with the York University Wind Symphony.

21:56
and I was able to do a short workshop with the band and share some of the context with them that I've shared here today. I also want to give a shout out to Jeremy Van Hoy and the Colorado College Wind Ensemble. They included Boreal Pines on a recent concert with a fantasy theme. So the video of their performance from their concert is amazing because they're all dressed in fantasy costumes on stage.

22:21
The piece was also performed by the Eastman Wind Orchestra, many many high schools and other community bands. There are a lot of bands currently working on it, more than I expected, so I'm just really grateful for the support and for people who are willing to take a chance on a piece that is a bit different from what they might be used to. Speaking of gratitude, I'm also very grateful that Ashley Brockway, the teacher who commissioned this piece, has shared her perspective in an audio clip.

22:50
So let's listen to that now.

22:54
We had started discussing the commissioning of this piece in 2020 before COVID, but then obviously things got a little bit dicey after that. But I'm really glad that we went forward with it because I think even during that time, schools were shut down and bands weren't playing together. The commission project really gave my students and myself a sense of purpose. We had something to look forward to.

23:22
they felt really involved with Cait and they were able to give testimonials of their stories and things that they remembered to give inspiration to the piece. And I think during a really directionless time in our lives that we suddenly had this thing that we could look forward to and it kind of provided a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. And I think that with this piece, with Boreal Pines and...

23:48
a lot of the new ideas that it brought to students, especially with the aleatoric stuff, I think that that really mirrored some of the challenges that they were going through during COVID and even with some of the emotions that this piece brings up for our students being about the wildfire. That aleatoric music really mirrors that feeling of instability, of uncertainty, and.

24:15
From a teacher's perspective, when we were working on it, the students really struggled with that. They wanted to be told what to do. They wanted to, even when they've figured out something that they thought sounded good, they wanted to just do it the same way every time. And they had a really hard time pushing themselves to imagine what it would be like for the piece to sound completely different every single day. And I think that that really mirrored what they were going through in their lives, you know, with COVID and with everything that they've lived through through the wildfire.

24:45
Fort McMurray has seen lots of floods and just all these things that have put them in situations where they don't have control and that they have a hard time maybe picturing the future sometimes. I think that the music really reflected that in an unexpected way and looking back at that now and seeing kind of how much of a struggle that was for them to bridge that gap and to really lean into the aleatoric stuff. I think it speaks a lot to just what they were going through and I think that that's such a...

25:14
unique thing. We were so grateful to have had this opportunity to work with Cait and it's something that the students who are now adults out in the world, they still talk about a lot and it's so meaningful to us to have this beautiful piece of art to show for a pretty tumultuous time in our lives.

25:33
Thank you, Ashley, for that wonderful contribution to this podcast. I'm still so moved by this whole story, this whole experience, and I feel honoured to have been invited to represent this community through music. For those who are interested in learning more about Fort McMurray and how the community came together through this tragedy, there is a documentary on YouTube that I'll link in the episode notes. It does show some footage from the school, and it has an interview with the school's

26:02
really insightful for me in understanding the role that the school played in this whole situation. I definitely recommend checking it out if you've enjoyed hearing about this project, and especially if you're working on this piece.

26:14
Now that you've heard a lot more about the story of this piece, my intentions with it, you've heard from Ashley, I want to read the program note for this piece. And this is from my website and it's located inside the score as well.

26:30
Boreal Pines was commissioned by Ashley Brockway and the Ecole McTavish High School Band to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the 2016 wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta. This forest fire devastated over 7,000 square kilometers of forest, and the entire town was evacuated. As one can imagine, this was a highly traumatic event that has had lasting impacts on all who call Fort McMurray home. Fort McMurray is situated within the Boreal Forest.

26:58
which is a bio-region that supports an extensive network of plants, animals, and fungi. The coniferous forests of this region are resilient and in many cases have adapted to depend on fire for regeneration. Some species have pine cones which only release seeds under extreme heat. A forest fire can set this cycle of the forest into motion. The pines of the boreal forest are known for their ability to bounce back after hardship.

27:26
and so are the people of Fort McMurray. This piece consists of nature-inspired imagery and reflects the mixed emotions of the community as they rebuild. Aleatoric passages represent uncertainty while hopeful melodies encourage finding and creating light within the darkness. One dollar from every purchase of this piece will be donated to Tree Canada's Operation ReLeaf, an ongoing program working to reclaim the loss of trees from the 2016 wildfire.

27:56
Thank you for helping us support this initiative.

28:01
This might be a weird thing, but I get goosebumps when I read my own program note for this piece. I think there's just something so special about this particular story, and I feel really proud of the way I've been able to capture all of this through the music that I wrote. And it's true that one dollar from every purchase of this piece is donated. I've been able to donate quite a bit.

28:24
to this organization and many others through the sales of my music. I'm really, really fortunate to be in a position to be able to do that. And I'm so grateful to my community for buying my music because it allows me to give back to these organizations that are supporting these causes that I care so deeply about. That wraps up what I have to share for this episode. Thank you so much to Ashley for sending in an audio clip and for initiating this beautiful collaboration.

28:52
Thanks to the students and staff of Ecole McTavish High School. Thank you to everyone who has brought this very special piece to life and to everyone who is currently working on it. If you are interested in taking a look at the score for Boreal Pines or purchasing a copy for your own library, please visit caitnishimura.com where you can access all of my concert music and learn more about me and my work. If you've enjoyed listening to the omposercait podcast, please spread the word in your community and help me grow my audience.

29:21
I am really passionate about sharing all of this and I'm proud of the music I've created so I just want to reach as many people as I can through this format. Thank you so much for being here and I'll see you in the next one.