The hermit thrush is a bird with a distinctive high-pitched call. Legend has that the hermit thrust cheated in a contest between all the birds of the world, to win the right to sing a song. Now it sings a beautiful song, but — ashamed of what it has done — it hides deep in the wilderness.

This piece is set in an isolated slot canyon (the eponymous “grey rock cathedral”) and takes as its starting point the experience of venturing deep into the wilderness, where the hermit thrushes live. The thrush’s call is represented by the violin and the resulting high pitched feedback created by the cellphone echo. Along with the choir, the ensemble in this piece explores themes of both exhaustion and renewal.

-Naci Konar-Steenberg