A special highlight of the program will be Scenes from Sand County, by Madison composer Doug Hill, a work commissioned for and by the Oakwood Chamber Players in 1999. Hill, a former horn professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, frequently draws inspiration from nature. In this piece scored for nine instruments and narrator, he breathes a new musical life into the writings of the celebrated Wisconsin ecologist Aldo Leopold, widely known for the concept of “land ethic” presented in A Sand County Almanac (1949).

 “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” – Aldo Leopold

The connection to our earth grows deeper with Jenni Brandon’s contemplative Sequoia Trio, another work with narration, and Adrienne Albert’s vibrant Americana.