Crested Saguaro Rhapsody

for solo double seconds steel pan

Crested Saguaro Rhapsody was commissioned by Ryan Learned, my friends and a percussionist and steel pannist I met at my first SōSI in 2022. He wanted a solo pan piece that incorporated non-traditional implements, but beyond that I was free to write whatever piece I wanted. I decided to compose a piece based on the natural environment surrounding his home (at the time) in Tucson, Arizona. In my research, I learned about the crested saguaro, a rare mutation of the traditional saguaro cactus that causes wonderfully detailed, curved crests to form on the tops of the plants. I decided to depict a "day in the life" of such a cactus, depicting in a musical medium the ways in which light casts itself across the cactus's spines and curved surfaces from dawn to dusk.

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Performance History

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October 26, 2025 - Ryan Learned DMA Percussion Recital - University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ