Ancient Airs (2004) for solo flute was written for and is dedicated to flutist Sandra Ragusa. It is in two movements, each with a spirit of “ancient airs” re-imagined in a modern context. The ancestry of the modern flute as a folk instrument is the inspiration for the work’s concept. They should always be played with a lyrical, singing approach.

Beyond the Mountain uses as its basic musical material a simple transformation of a modal melody in D minor. Gradually tones are added borrowed from other modalities. The opening section is slow and lyrical. The middle section is more active—contrasting the D minor chord tones with the added diminished tones of the first section. The final section recalls the material of the opening with a wider transformation.

Forgotten Incantation uses a wider modal language than the first movement. Although still generally slow and song-like, it is more energetic. Energetic gestures interrupt and drive the song narrative forwards.