Kudzu Pull, from “The Land Shifts” - String Orchestra

Duration: 3.5 Minutes

Difficulty: Grade 5 (grading system details)

Written: 2024

Instrumentation:
-Violin I
-Violin II
-Viola
-Violoncello
-Double Bass

Teaching Materials coming soon!

Link to the full four-movement work:
-The Land Shifts

Other movements published as standalone concert works:
-Prescribed Fire

Program Note:

Kudzu Pull is a vibrant excerpt from The Land Shifts, a four-movement suite that explores the transformative process of reconnecting with the natural world. This movement introduces string players to less common key signatures, 1/2 position, and a wide range of musical textures, pushing the boundaries of both their technical and artistic skills.

The piece's musical development mirrors the process of restoring balance to the natural world. It draws performers into a dialogue of tension and release, trial and error, euphoria and overwhelm. Kudzu Pull offers an ideal balance of technical development and creative expression, encouraging ensembles to think critically about their sound, interpretive choices, and the power of music to tell a story.

Further Reading: (excerpted from the larger work)

2024 was the tenth anniversary of my working at the University of Rhode Island Summer Music Academy. As I drove back and forth to campus in July, I noticed a dense, viny ground cover on the sides of the highway that appeared to be charred and burnt at the very top. As I noticed it more and more, I wondered what it was, and worried if our warming and unpredictable climate was to blame. The scope of both the problem and its solution were revealed in due time.

Twisting, pulling, seeing, and burning: The Land Shifts explores these four land-based actions, where either the land or our perspective on it is altered. 

Movement II. Kudzu Pull is about “the vine that ate the south.” This plant is invasive to the Americas, which means it takes over entire landscapes, choking out every competitor. In this movement I imagined a group of friends who have gathered together, setting out to pull the vine up bit by bit. They start out excited, quickly get exhausted, then soon begin to get the hang of it. The movement ends in frustration, as our efforts can feel futile, especially when facing a problem as vast as managing Kudzu. Yet every bit counts, and our peers can remind us of this with their support.

It was only at the end of my week at the string academy that things clicked for me: the dense ground cover near the highway was an invasive species––either Knotweed or Kudzu. Rather than being pulled or burned to make room for native species, someone had sprayed the top with some type of chemical, so it would not grow onto the highway. The climate was not drying the plant out; it was an act of land mismanagement. This perspective shift gutted me, and was a key inspiration for this work, which I hurriedly sketched on a friend's keyboard on the final day of the academy.