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The Bonsai Tree by Julie Giroux

Greetings from the musicians of the Sierra Nevada Winds. We long for the time to be in each others’ company to present to you, our loyal friends and patrons, the gift of live music. We remain hopeful that such a gathering can occur soon. This year marks the beginning of the Sierra Nevada Winds Orchestra’s fourth decade as an ensemble. We remain committed as ever to producing wind ensemble music of the highest caliber, and to continue to serve our region proud as only California community-based concert band in the past 20 years to receive the prestigious John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Silver Scroll award. Even though it’s not live, we have committed to continue making music together virtually. With great pleasure, we present our latest recording in our “Concert-at-Home” series with a performance of Julie Giroux’s “The Bonsai Tree” to open our 31st season. Please follow us this year for more great music. Thank you for your loyal patronage. Arts organizations in our region need your support now more than ever.

Information from the composer about this piece:

Sandai-Shogun no Matsu, a five-needle pine bonsai (Pinus pentaphylla var. negishi) is considered one of Japan’s national treasures. The tree is at least 500 years old and is considered to be one of the oldest known living bonsai trees. It is documented as having been cared for by Tokugawa Iemitsu (August 12, 1604 – June 8, 1651) who was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. Sandai-Shogun no Matsu is housed in the Tokyo Imperial Palace.”Although the center of this famous tree’s trunk is now totally hollow, it has been carefully nurtured for generations, and gazing at its gnarled form today, a sense of awe is felt at the forceful destiny that has allowed such a small piece of life to survive for so many centuries.”