I Come from Water

Text by Theresa Koon

For Mezzo-soprano, Baritone and Instrumental Quintet:

Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Violin and Cello, (brief doubling on Bass Drum).

Duration: 5:40

I Come from Water is a chamber work inspired by news that the US may be planning to perform missile testing in the Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Island of Kaui.  Scientists are concerned that these tests may cause deafness to marine animals who orient themselves via sound waves, such as dolphins and whales.  The music is intended to evoke impressions of a life in water, beginning with nonverbal communication between fish in streams.  Images, sensations and sounds of water are expressed throughout the piece as salmon make their way from streams to rivers to the ocean.  Eventually, we hear a sense of quiet communion in the ocean, which is interrupted by three explosions.  The marine animals respond with panic, followed by silence.  The final measures are intended to express grieving.