BOULDER — On Jan. 12, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Michael Butterman, presented the exclusive world premiere of “Wind, Water, Sand,” a musical masterpiece by the renowned composer Stephen Lias.
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BOULDER — On Jan. 12, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Michael Butterman, presented the exclusive world premiere of “Wind, Water, Sand,” a musical masterpiece by the renowned composer Stephen Lias.
Lias was the subject of a June 2024 Valley Courier feature article that included his comments on the work, "When I'm working in partnership with the park as I did at Great Sand Dunes, that often affords even more exciting ways of immersing myself, they [park service] were able to send me out for a half a day with a park geologist so I learned a great deal. They allowed me access to the marvelous, marvelous museum of artifacts they have there. I had those very unique experiences. I get out of my comfort zone and get immersed.
"I tended to alternate my time between days on the dunes and days up in the mountains. The mountain landscape is so beautiful I didn't want to overlook it. I also spent some very long days hiking deep into the dunes, much deeper than I had been on previous visits. Because I was there in the park, I had the opportunity to climb dunes at midnight and look at the stars in that dark sky environment. I was also there at the creek's peak surge flows, which definitely influenced my ideas for what the piece would be. While I was there, I wanted to sink my teeth into the place or let it sink its teeth into me."
After the world premiere in Boulder, Lias told the Valley Courier, "The principal inspiration for the piece is the flowing motion of the wind, water, and sand and how they are all moving in analogous ways, either slow or fast, small or large. As you might expect, the piece (about 10 minutes long) has moments of cinematic grandeur, hushed awe, and lots of musical gestures that audience members associated with weather, "critters," and other elements of Great Sand Dunes National Park."
Andrea Compton, Superintendent of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, said, “I was very pleased to be able to attend and hear how the Great Sand Dunes inspires a variety of people and reaches a variety of audiences. It was fun talking to the attendees during the intermission and learning how Stephen's composition resonated with each of them.”
Lias has taken his passion for the outdoors and wilderness, set it to music in many compositions, and has a resume of national park-inspired works. This repertoire captures many parks' grandeur, including Rock Mountain, Glacier, Denali, Big Bend, Gates of the Arctic, and now Great Sand Dunes. "Over the past seven or eight years, no composer has been more synonymous with our national parks than Stephen Lias," according to NPR Performance Today host Fred Child.
In 2017, his "All the Songs that Nature Sings" premiered at Washington, DC's Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts." Lias is also a Professor of Composition at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas.
Looking forward, Lias said, "I have been the Composer in Residence for Mount Rainier National Park during 2024 (in celebration of their 125th anniversary), and now that I'm done with "Wind, Water, Sand," my next project will be a similar orchestral piece (with synchronized imagery) celebrating that park.
Lias said he expects the work to be available online in several weeks and will let the Valley Courier know so our readers can listen.
This article has been slightly updated from the January 15 print edition.