Foolish Fire

Foolish Fire was written in 2009, in collaboration with Loveland High School (Loveland, CO) and their then-Director of Bands, Dr. Matthew Arau. Here are the program notes I wrote for the premiere performance: 

Across the United States, Canada and Europe can be found naturally-occuring light phenomena known as "ghost lights," "will-o-the-wisp," or ignis fatuus (which translates to "foolish fire"). Occuring mainly at

night, these lights can flicker, dance, or stay stagnant. Some of these lights -- like the ones in Marfa, Texas and Paulding, Michigan -- have developed devoted followings of occultists and paranoramal enthusiasts, who come from all over the world to see the lights for themselves.

No definitive reason has ever been offered for the "ghost light" phenomena. The explanations have ranged from ignited swamp gas, to mischievous dead spirits, to car headlights and overly-enthusiastic viewers. Regardless of their origin, the lights appear to be innocous, posing no threat to their observers or surroundings; yet we continue to search for a logical explanation, and to view them with an unmitigated curiosity (and perhaps fear). So the question becomes: are we really fascinated by the Foolish Fire, or by our own inability to understand and explain it?