Benediction was written for Gail Brechting and the Blue Lake (Michigan) Summer Music Camp Adult Concert Bands. The piece is a sort of musical blessing that has no religious connotation, and although it isn't directly related to Covid and its aftermath, I felt I needed to write something that expressed what I was feeling as we evaluate where we are compared to where we've been - and a blessing seemed the best thing to do.
  
So much has happened, so much left unresolved and undone. And yet, we need to move forward. It's very difficult to put into words, but that's why we have the abstract emotional language of music - for times just like this.
 
Patrick J. Burns
May 30, 2021