I am pleased to announce that my choral composition “The Wind in the Wheat” has been named one of the winners of the “Voices of the Prairie” composition contest, held by Sonus Chamber Choir in Topeka, Kansas. 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.

This piece will get a world premiere in Topeka on April 12, 2026, and a professional studio recording. Read the press release here.

The Wind in the Wheat