Riverside

In the city of Boston, the Charles River forms a central part of both the human community and the natural ecosystem. Soon after moving to the city, I began noticing curious interactions between both worlds during my daily commute, especially around one of the many bridges that spans the river. Whether it was traffic being held up by local geese crossing the road, pigeons making nests on railway bridges, or an unexpected garden built right next to the highway (itself built right next to the river), I found myself fascinated by the idea of humanity’s influence on nature as well as the way in which nature shapes society. It was within this context that I began the first drafts of this piece, seeking a simple way to portray the interactions between the natural and artificial worlds.

Riverside takes a musical theme (that I imagined representing nature) and places it in a variety of musical contexts – some harmonious and consonant, others dissonant and unstable. In each variation the theme undergoes some form of transformation, adapting its contours and melodic fragments to find a niche within each new harmonic structure. The piece finishes with a tentative yet unsettled sense of resolution, which I imagined representing the temporary and fleeting nature of all such interactions – regardless of what humanity chooses to do (or not do), the symbiotic relationship between natural and artificial will inevitably continue to change.

-JMW, April 2025

Commissioned by Lindsey Robb, Justin Casinghino, and the Rivers School Conservatory.

Premiered by Joshua Kim, April 2025.