I’ve written this piece after having opportunities to hike around national parks in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah this past year. Coming from Ohio, I was very unfamiliar with the struggle to hike many miles up severe inclines that you find in the Rocky Mountains. Summit is a piece for unaccompanied trumpet which embraces the struggle of a long journey.

The piece begins with echoing fanfares signaling the beginning of our trek. What follows are meandering melodies, sometimes conveying a sense of being lost or turned around. These melodies become increasingly longer and more difficult for the performer, testing their ability to endure.

In playing this piece, the performer is instructed to play certain phrases until they run out breath. When they run out of breath, they move on to the next phrase, at times skipping some material. In this way, Summit is an evolving piece, challenging performers and producing unique performances.