Chakra was composed back in 2007 during an eventful week in the spring time.  I finally got the time to reread the first two chapters of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood and listen to Brain Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports twice, Kaija Saariaho's NaoNao six times, György Kurtág's …quasi una fantasia…four times, and Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde eight blondy times.  I also learned the proper and old-fashioned Plate Method to press and prepare the tofu, reviewed Schenker's concept of Auskomponierung, and carefully oiled my Moeck Rottenburgh baroque alto recorder for thirty minutes.  American Idol was on, so I might inadvertently listen to too much of Simon Cowell just like everyone else.  I did all this while composing Chakra and drinking eleven and 3/4 cups of black coffee at the same time.  I was that busy.

This quasi-improvised ensemble composition for eleven instruments was premiered by Vienna-based Janus Ensemble in Salzburg in the summer of 2007 and is now scheduled to be presented on 26 April 2009, featuring Candice Behrmann on alto flute, Janet Hildebrand on bass clarinet, Amy Rischling on horn, Tobin Stewart on trumpet, Jonathan Raftery on percussion, Kurt Knecht on piano, David Snow on violin, Caroline Faflak on violin, Lexi Woodard on viola, Sakura N. Ewer on cello, Garrett Hope on bass, and James Wilson serving as conductor.