Austin’s Wind Chimes (2015)

This piece was commissioned by Austin Ferguson for the 78th Birthday of the Kniker Carillon at UT. Though it was my first piece written for carillon, I was lucky to have it published through American Carillon Music Editions!

Duration: ca. 4:00

Here’s my program note for the piece:

I discovered the carillon one day while taking a walk. I was fascinated by the sound of unseen bells making music that had been intentionally composed. I had never heard carillon music before then, and it took me a few days to realize that these sounds came from the University of Texas Tower. After I discovered the source of the music, I contacted the Tower’s carillonneur, Austin Ferguson, to learn more about the instrument.

The title of this work also refers to my impression that I had just discovered Austin, Texas had a city-sized set of wind chimes hanging in its center. The UT Tower is an important spatial landmark in our city, but not many people know that it also houses the Kniker Carillon. “Austin’s Wind Chimes” works to recreate the sound environment of outdoor wind chimes while taking advantage of the many idiosyncrasies of the carillon.