26508

for String Quartet (2022)

Duration: 5:00

26508 focuses on my time at Emma Kaufmann Camp, a summer sleepaway camp on the shores of Cheat Lake in Morgantown, West Virginia. A strong sense of family was fostered there, grounded in the camp song- Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver- and our zip code, 26508. This piece attempts to capture the relationships I built and still have with my friends from camp, even as we’re scattered across the country. The opening theme takes inspiration from Denver’s song and seeks to create a sense of nostalgia. The theme develops, just as my friendships have, and becomes something new at marking D. The piece then focuses on the hectic parts of camp life, both good and bad, and keeps the serene theme hidden. It ends with a recapitulation of the theme, ultimately hoping to create a similar sense of nostalgia as the beginning.