Someone asked me if I’d ever written a woodwind quintet – I hadn’t, and was curious. This piece was inspired by the tones & colours & the action outside my window – specifically, the birds & wildlife that frolick around the pear tree in our urban backyard here in Toronto. It traces the journey during a particular turning of seasons — from the end of summer, when the tree is full of fruit, through fall’s turning & the first snow, through to a winter squall, when nothing but cardinals & sparrows seem to brave the cold and endure the harsh winds.