Night Owl (2025) ~ 2 Minutes

Night Owl is a musical reflection of a quiet evening through the eyes of a majestic owl—perched under the stars, calmly observing the world below, and occasionally gliding silently through the night sky. I wanted to capture that sense of stillness, curiosity, and grace that comes with the peaceful hours while we rest.

I wrote this piece with young bands in mind, using only notes typically taught in the first year of playing. Even with that limited palette, I aimed to create something expressive and lyrical that students could really connect with. The opening motif, which might remind some listeners of Grainger’s Children’s March, was actually inspired by how this piece came to be.

A friend of mine shared an old melody they had written during their childhood music lessons and asked if I could bring it to life. I started by realizing the original melody, and as a surprise, I decided to write a full set of variations on it. Night Owl is an embellishment of one of the slower variations—an opportunity to reimagine that simple tune with warmth, color, and a bit of nighttime magic.