by Patrick J. Burns (Grade 4, 3:25)

Shimmering Chesapeake was commissioned by the Bel Air Community Band (Bel Air, Maryland), in celebration of their 50th season making music together. The opening rhythm, played by the vibraphone, is a Morse code repetition of “BACB” (concert G), which serves as a unifying thread for the entire first part of the work. Later on, the same rhythm returns (again in the vibraphone, but also aided by the flutes), this time concurrent with another Morse code reference, “1964”, tapped out on a concert F in the bells and reinforced by the piccolo. These two elements serve as threads which essentially bind the entire work together.