Ideas for new works often present themselves in unusual ways. Because this piece was commissioned in honor of a 50th annual band festival, I decided to try to make a connection between the beginning of the band festival to the present. My grandfather was a band director in the 1960s, so I began the process of searching for connections to the past by speaking with him. We discussed some of the music that he programmed with his groups during this time (including many of his favorite Karl King marches), but none of this discussion added any clarity to the task at hand. Perhaps sensing my frustration, my grandfather advised, "Throw caution to the wind and write the piece!" As it turns out, the phrase, "to the wind," stuck!

…to the Wind was commissioned by the Detroit Lakes Band Program in honor of their 50th annual All-City Band Festival.