Aileen Razey
Clarinetist, Educator

 

Climate, Wonder, and Worry

Music by:

Jenni Brandon, world premiere

Kornel Thomas, world premiere

Poetry by:

Juliet Patterson
Newly commissioned work

Meditation by:

Marita Stryker

Performed by:

Aileen Razey, clarinet

Kathryn Ananda-Owens, piano

Wesley Dunnagan, tenor

Program

Stood The Tree Alone            Kornel Thomas
*world premiere

The Blessing Trees                      Jenni Brandon
*Minnesota premiere

Attention                                         Juliet Patterson
*debut reading

Indispensable Pollinators        Kornel Thomas

*Minnesota premiere

Meditation, led by Marita Stryker

The future of our planet

It is easy for me to get lost in worry when I think about the future of our planet, the harm that is being caused to nature, and the future of humanity. However, I am reminded through this program that I can also feel curious about how nature works and in awe of its beauty,  confident that scientists and activist are helping us understand climate change and how to advocate for our planet, and empowered to build a caring community.

This artistic experience creates a safe space for our audience to be a part of an empathetic and caring community.  World premiere music, a newly commissioned poetic work, meditation, and audience participation provides a glimpse into the emotional journey of artists and their communities on the topic of climate change.

 

Please share your experience after the program.

The underlying thought while composing this piece was to bring attention to old-growth forests, which have been in series decline due to logging and need our utmost protection.

This work sets the text from Henrik Edoyan's poem, Stood the tree alone (translated by Lilit Abajyan).

View the poem here in naturopa, no. 103, 2005, pg. 7.

Stood the Tree Alone

The Blessing Trees explores the emotional landscape of our connection to nature. Inspired by Wendell Berry’s poem “Woods,” the work reflects on the quiet reverence found in the forest, where stillness is filled with the subtle music of the natural world. The clarinet and piano interweave timbral colors and lyrical lines, echoing the imagery of a silent wood alive with sound.As the piece unfolds, the music grows in energy, moving from shadow into light—a reflection on beauty, responsibility, and our role in preserving the fragile ecosystems that surround us. The final moments drift into silence, like wind moving through the trees, leaving space for reflection.Written for clarinetist Aileen Razey, The Blessing Trees receives its world premiere at ClarinetFest® 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, on a program dedicated to contemplating climate change and our relationship with the natural world.

The Blessing Trees

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The Blessing Trees by Jenni Brandon

ATTENTION

I saw one, I think—
by the fence
where the asters

used to be.
Small,
barely a weight.

The stalks didn’t bend.
Shadows were flung—
sharp and early.

I wasn’t looking.
It was there,
wasn’t it?  

So much
has thinned—
the fields,  

the air.
Everything
is trying to speak.

What we once followed
slips behind
paper, screens

the hum of more.
We colonize
the empty—

but lose attention
to what’s gone—until it’s everywhere.

We build,
we burn,
we sweep the porch,  

say it’s just a dry year,
say: something will grow.

What’s fragile
stays near—
waiting.

In the stillness
before sleep
I feel it—

not a sting,
but a stirring
lifting  

through the nettled
grass.

Juliet Patterson
julietpatterson.com

For clarinet in Bb and pianoWhen we think of bees, the honeybee often comes to mind first. However, in the United States alone, there are over 4,000 native bee species, each playing a vital role in pollinating wild plants and food crops. Unfortunately, the populations of many wild bees are declining due to habitat loss, improper pesticide use, and other environmental factors. One such species, Bombus affinis—a wild bee native to North America—is already listed as endangered. This work envisions a possible future where these fascinating creatures may face extinction, highlighting the urgent need for their conservation.I. Daily Task of an AnthopilaII. Devastating ExtinctionIII. Earth's Anguish and Mourning

Indispensable Pollinators

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Indispensable Pollinators by Kornel Thomas

Thank you to the St. Olaf College Wellness Center Peer Educators
for their pre-concert lecture and creation of resources for this program.

Explore these resources to learn more about ideas explored in this project.

  • “Bombus Affinis : Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: Rare Species Guide.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, June 24, 2024. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/profile.html?action=elementDetail&selectedElement=IIHYM24020.
  • “FWS.” Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Bombus affnis, January 10, 2017. https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/508_RPBB-factsheet.pdf.
  • “Office of the State of Minnesota Secretary of State.” Minnesota Secretary Of State. Accessed June 28, 2025. https://www.sos.mn.gov/about-minnesota/state-symbols/state-bee-rusty-patched-bumblebee/#:~:text=This%20fuzzy%20bumblebee%20can%20be,fraction%20of%20its%20former%20range.

 

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