Jenni Brandon’s Cumulonimbus and Chansons de la Nature Pour La Clarinette  is performed by Natalie Groom as the Collington Artist-in-Residence at the Collington Retirement Community in Bowie, Maryland on October 19, 2019. Natalie was awarded a residency at Collington Retirement Community in Bowie, Maryland, as their artist-in-residence, she will perform frequently in addition to coordinating concerts, bringing in guest lecturers, and leading educational seminars.

Now in its third year, this program has been featured by The Today Show and ABC. This residency is made possible by a partnership between the University of Maryland School of Music and Collington, A Kendal Affiliate

The inspiration for the Cumulonimbus piece, by Jenni, comes from a wonderful book titled The Cloudspotter’s Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. In this book he describes all types of clouds, from the Stratus all the way up to the Cirrocumulus cloud. Jenni particularly loved his chapter on the Cumulonimbus cloud and the description of the destruction and havoc that this cloud can make. Jenni thought it would be exciting to write a work that represented this cloud and its fury.

Jenni’s Chansons de la Nature Pour La Clarinette, tells a story about nature as told by the clarinet’s agile voice. The French titles and basis of the pieces were inspired by the lyrical and pastoral quality of the French language and the images it invokes. The piece is also inspired by the images presented in Aesop’s fables (and Jean de la Fontain’s retelling of them); in particular, the movement “Le Lièvre et la Tortue” tells of the slow tortoise beating the fast hare with his patience and determination. Both creatures are represented in this movement, from the plodding of the tortoise to the quick movements of the hare.