Winter 1983 for String Orchestra is my third composition in a recent series of works for self-healing.  Previous works include “Sermon for Saints and Sinners” for brass quintet and narrator and, “Just Us” for horn, bassoon and piano.   

The year 1983 for me, was a collision of two worlds.  On the one hand, my newfound world of classical music. A world filled with young and ambitious musicians.  A vehicle for my imagination, talent and curiosity.    The other world, that of my life at home in the Rockaways of Queens, New York.   In the 1980’s Far Rockaway was an epicenter of the crack-cocaine era, and my stepfather unfortunately fell victim.  Lies, abuse, theft and trauma were common in the household.   It was in 1983 that his addiction nearly broke our home and my ambition.  Through the grace of some angels, I temporarily found my way out of the daily trauma to my weekly French horn lessons, my Saturday youth orchestra and subsequently a place in a music conservatory.  The internal trauma, however, remains but with the gift of musical expression I have found a conduit to work through it all.   

This work also takes some inspiration from some recent readings of the late composer Olly Wilson.  His article “Black Music as an Art Form” in the 1983 Vol of the Black Music Research Journal Vol. 3 pp. 1-22) University of Illinois Press. JSTOR.   In the article Mr. Wilson uses two forms of music, Blues and Jazz, to discuss the traits or characteristics of “Black Music”.  I was consequently inspired to create a blues for this work and very discreetly quoted the cited jazz work in the article, On Green Dolphin Street.