Now available: The Wind in the Wheat, co-winner of the “Voices of the Prairie” composition contest
After my composition “The Wind in the Wheat” was named one of the winners of the “Voices of the Prairie” composition contest, I got to attend the premiere by Sonus Chamber Choir in Topeka, Kansas. It’s now available for sale. A recording by Sonus Chamber Choir will be available in October 2026.
For many years I’ve wanted to compose choral music based on the poetry of the prairie, and this contest provided the perfect opportunity, since the text had to be in some way related to Kansas. I chose to use this poem by a poet from my home state of North Dakota, Jessamine Slaughter Burgum, in which she personifies the prairie wind and a field of wheat as two partners in a dance. The music imitates the ever-flowing, whistling, unpredictable wind.