ten players, or chamber orchestra, 2025
Duration: 5 1/2 minutes
Instrumentation:
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Horn
Harp
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Cello
Double Bass
This work may be performed with single strings or a small string section.
Program notes:
In Memory’s Garden was composed in 2025 after the passing of
my stepmother, Marjorie Morse Richards, who was an integral part of my life since
I was a teenager. Generous, graceful, wise, patient, full of love and a deep
commitment to improving the lives of others – those close to her and people she
never met – she lived a full and beautiful life and is remembered fondly by
everyone who knew her. This brief homage reflects grief at her passing but also
celebrates the joy she found in all things and the solace she brought to so many.
Composed at the generous request of Maestro Hector Salazar, the work was
premiered by him and the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay, whose concerts
she loved to attend with my father for many years.