Program note:   

The idea for this piece came from non-stop rainy weather, which lasted for weeks during the spring in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  It was the first time in my life that the rain looked like the metal bars of a jail.  There was nothing I could do but to write a sunny piece as my prayer.

The midnight sun is a phenomenon that occurs north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle, where, because of the tilt of the earth, the sun remains above the horizon for twenty-four hours on at least one day per year.  In places where it occurs, there are usually continuous celebrations on that day.  I have never experienced the midnight sun, but this piece is meant to be bright, exciting and powerful.