D a v i d   V e s s

'Gravel Shrines' is the third piece in a growing series of works related to the concept of shrines. Each of these pieces has to do in some or another with the environment. They imagine a specific place or site as a holy shrine. In this case, the shrine are the glorious mountains of Western North Carolina. The trails behind my childhood home. The creeks I crossed over while exploring. The little waterfalls far from civilization, hidden in the woods. This work was written for my good friends Francesca Ferrara, David Angelo, Noah Rosen, and Jane Soh. I am especially proud of the fact that this work was the winner of the 2015 chamber music competition at Boston Conservatory and was the first student composed piece to be selected as such. This is all thanks to my fantastic performers and our coach, Sharan Leventhal.