The Ruins of Detroit (2013) is a twenty-four minute orchestral work for string orchestra, string octet, celesta, harp, two vibraphones, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, two bassoons, two clarinets, two oboes, two flutes, and pre-recorded audio soundtracks. The focal point of the work is the conceptual exploration of urban decay found throughout the city of Detroit, Michigan, in 2012. Urban ruins are visible symbols, and landmarks of our society and its changes. Perhaps no other city has been affected more by post-industrialization than Detroit, whose plight has become symbolic of the shift away from manufacturing. This concept not only manifests itself though the utilization of archival recordings and electroacoustic elements in the work, but also throughout the acoustic material as well. Structurally, the work shifts through a series of seven “atmospheres,” which are comprised of pitch collections based on all white notes that descend from A through G. The syntax is anchored in the organization of musical material into foreground (solo violin,) middle-ground (harp, celeste, string octet, piano, percussion, woodwinds, brass) and background (string orchestra, soundtracks). The central theme to this work is intended to be the wholeness of music, and challenges the listener to step inside of it, and experience it not as a representation of place, but as a place in itself: The Ruins of Detroit.

The Ruins of Detroit (2013) is a twenty-four minute orchestral work for string orchestra, string octet, celesta, harp, two vibraphones, four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, two bassoons, two clarinets, two oboes, two flutes, and pre-recorded audio soundtracks. The focal point of the work is the conceptual exploration of urban decay found throughout the city of Detroit, Michigan, in 2012. Urban ruins are visible symbols, and landmarks of our society and its changes. Perhaps no other city has been affected more by post-industrialization than Detroit, whose plight has become symbolic of the shift away from manufacturing. This concept not only manifests itself though the utilization of archival recordings and electroacoustic elements in the work, but also throughout the acoustic material as well. Structurally, the work shifts through a series of seven “atmospheres,” which are comprised of pitch collections based on all white notes that descend from A through G. The syntax is anchored in the organization of musical material into foreground (solo violin,) middle-ground (harp, celeste, string octet, piano, percussion, woodwinds, brass) and background (string orchestra, soundtracks). The central theme to this work is intended to be the wholeness of music, and challenges the listener to step inside of it, and experience it not as a representation of place, but as a place in itself: The Ruins of Detroit.