Deforestation | for Orchestra
Duration: 6 Minutes
Instrumentation: 3333 / 4331 / timp + 3 perc / 1 hp / full strings
Winner of the NZSO Todd Young Composer Award 2024
Performed and Recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2024
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"The silencing of the rainforests is a double deforestation; not only of trees but a
deforestation of the mind's music, medicine, and knowledge."
- Jay Griffiths

Undeniably, we are facing a climate crisis. Every year the signs grow more obvious, and action must be taken to change our practices before the damage reaches a critical level. This piece emerged from my own reflections on the nature of deforestation; as a violent, mechanical process based on extraction and taking resources without any regard for sustainability. Each time the extraction takes place, less remains and more aggressive measures must be taken to seize what we can from the land.  This destructive cycle can only lead to one thing - a barren wasteland that is only a shadow of its former self.

This piece draws inspiration from the iconic catalogues of rock and metal artists like Mark Wood, Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Dream Theatre; as well as the works of modern composers like Hans Agreda's Kaleidoskop: Works for Contrabassoon and John Psathas' epic work Omnifenix.