This piece is inspired from a chapter in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, called “Escape.” In it, Wilbur the pig is prodded by the goose & the other animals to escape the barn and run free. I was inspired by the motion and sound in this chapter, and by the gentle, humorous way in which White narrates the arc of security, then curiosity, then wild freedom, and ultimately, the comfort of a return to home & safety — all in a way that children can understand far before they’ve experienced a similar adventure in their own lives! It was commissioned by “Charis Collective” (Emily Hiemstra & Sonya Nanos), in 2023, to be played at a series of children’s concerts in London, Ontario.