for flute and piano
circa 10 minutes
pictured in photo: flutist Beth Goode
 
PROGRAM NOTES by the composer:
"The Windy City" was written in 2014 for flutist Beth Goode, Professor at Valdosta State University in Georgia, for the occasion of the National Flute Convention in Chicago, IL that same year.  The title is an obvious reference to the city of Chicago itself, and the three movements, played attacca, reflect three iconic views of the city.  The first movement rejoices in the height and shapes of the Chicago city skyscrapers; the second movement is a tribute to the once a year that the Charles is dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day, and if the audience listens closely, they might be able to detect a relationship in music to the famous Irish ballad “O Danny Boy”; and the third movement is a modern rollicking jig which represents the noisy jostling of the L, the above-ground train which connects the vibrant city and its diverse inhabitants.  The Windy City was premiered at the Italian chamber music festival, Orfeo in 2014, and repeated at the Festival of New American Music in Sacramento, California in 2015.