ƒb: loss-∑ (2022)

World Premiere – May 19, 2024

The New York Virtuoso Singers

Harold Rosenbaum, conductor

 

Many western-forest plant species are known to respond to fire with vegetative growth. In 1977, scientist Melanie Miller led a research experiment backed by the US Department of Agriculture to test the most suitable conditions under which Vaccinium globulare, known more commonly as “blue huckleberries,” thrive following prescribed burns. The experiment involved setting ablaze designated areas of the understory (a medium-low layer of the forest) of a fir forest in Montana during the spring and fall seasons.

 

It was admittedly difficult for me when I first learned about the phenomenon to wrap my 21st-century head around the idea of the intentional burning of nature for the sake of furthering scientific knowledge and boosting ecosystems. However, it is perhaps timelier now, considering our planet’s current state, for us to focus on and admire our environment’s ability to survive even among the harshest of conditions.

 

∫b: loss-∑ (pronounced “blossom”) is my response to the phoenix-like nature of huckleberries with text adapted from Miller’s research paper.

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