The Phoenix Rising

This work for organ and four French horns was commissioned to commemorate a significant touchstone event in Elon University's history -- the 1923 fire that destroyed the original administration building (Old Main). It is a single-movement work, approximately 15 minutes in duration, with a series of interconnected sections that trace a parallel symbolic path to the historical events connected with the Elon College 1923 fire, its immediate aftermath, the ensuing vision of rebirth and growth that followed, leading to the century of transformation that has brought Elon University to its current (and ever-evolving) state, as embodied by the myth of the legendary Phoenix. Hence, I came to the title, “The Phoenix Rising.”