Music & Sound |

Ambient Nature Sounds

Oregon Caves National Monument | National Park Service

I recorded ambient nature sounds at Oregon Caves National Monument when I was Artist-in-Residence there in 2019. Recording ambient nature sounds helps preserve wild soundscapes.

The recordings are of birds singing along Cave Creek, a Pacific wren returning to its nest above the cave entrance to feed its chicks, and water sounds at the deepest part of the cave (225 feet below the surface).

Clackamas River | The Rice Place

I recorded some relaxing nature sounds (birdsong, forest, water) at The Rice Place, an artist residency I completed at a ten-acre site along the Clackamas River in Oregon.

Cape Disappointment | Lewis & Clark National Historical Park

I recorded ambient nature sounds (forest, ocean, birds) at different locations in Cape Disappointment State Park during an artist residency in Washington.

The tracks include forest sounds on Bell’s View Trail, ocean sounds at Dead Man’s Cove, nature sounds at McKenzie Head, and forest sounds and birdsong (Pacific wren) on North Head Trail.

Muir Woods National Monument | National Park Service

I recorded ambient nature sounds at Muir Woods National Monument when I was a visitor there. The recordings I made often have human sounds as well as nature sounds due the high volume of visitors at the monument. Still, I think I captured a bit of what makes the place special through its unique sounds.

The recordings are of creaking redwoods near Redwood Creek, a (faint) hermit thrush singing high in the redwood canopy as wind shakes the leaves, and a pacific wren singing near the Cathedral Grove trailhead.

Fort Funston | Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

I took ambient audio recordings of the natural seaside soundscapes while hiking at Fort Funston in San Francisco, and my favorite recording was of a Nuttall’s White-crowned Sparrow (a subspecies found in coastal California) singing on the beach.

Music

Tintinnabulation

Tintinnabulation is digital ambient music I wrote to resemble the sound of bells or chimes. It is a theme and four variations.

The track titles are: Church Bells (theme), Holy Temple (variation 1), Spring Thaw (variation 2), Heartbeat (variation 3), and Underwater Organ (variation 4).

Two Piano Pieces on Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” | Storyfort

I composed two piano pieces based on the alliteration in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Each piece is a short passage from the poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” transposed into musical notes and played on the piano (apologies for my piano skills).