Eugene Symphony Principal Bassoon Ben Greanya performs Jenni Brandon’s  “Colored Stones for solo bassoon”, Movement III, Tiger’s Eye on March 31, 2021 at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.e is available for viewing on YouTube.

Now in its 55th season, the Eugene Symphony is recognized as a cornerstone of the performing arts in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley. Under the leadership of Music Director and Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, the Eugene Symphony pursues its mission of enriching lives through the power of music by presenting annual classical, pops and community engagement performances, regularly commissioning and premiering new American works, and disseminating its performances via radio broadcasts and recordings. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Eugene Symphony continue to serve its mission through reimagined concert experiences and programs. Learn more about the symphony’s virtual programs here: https://eugenesymphony.org/virtual-engagement.

Colored Stones for solo bassoon tells the story of three stones: smoky quartz, lapis lazuli, and tiger’s eye. Some cultures and spiritual practices believe these stones have powerful qualities such as the ability to heal, protect, and offer spiritual guidance. The bassoon explores these beautiful stones’ unique qualities.

Smoky Quartz – An incredibly grounding stone, this smoky brown stone transforms and diffuses negative energy. The bassoon changes from a sense of grounding to playfulness, exploring this balance of energy. In the end, it always finds its way back to telling the story of the grounding quality of the stone.

Lapis Lazuli — Prized for its colors, this deep blue stone was used by kings and queens in paintings and ceremonial robes. Believed to help foster truthful expression and communication, it supports the immune system and brings peace. The bassoon explores the luxurious blue color, mixing in flashes of gold found in the stone.

Tiger’s Eye – Tiger’s eye, a golden brown to deep red stone, is very grounding and can bring luck and ward off evil. The bassoon is sometimes “protective and seeing”, moving quickly to remove the look of the “evil eye” and other times moving dreamily through an ancient landscape of protective energy.

It was an honor to be chosen as the winner of the 2014 Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition and to have this work premiered by Susan Nelson.

This work is available for purchase through Imagine Music Publishing.