“‘Draw me the sun,’ said the star. And the artist drew the sun. It was a warm sun.”

One day I asked Nacho, a 7-year-old who would later become my stepson, to tell me a story. Without hesitation, Nacho leapt into the story of an artist who draws the universe from scratch. He begins with a star, quickly followed by a big, warm sun; a simple green tree; a human couple and their dog; and so on and so forth, until a colorful universe with a beautiful night sky has been drawn.

Later I would find that the story comes from Draw Me a Star by the American children’s writer Eric Carle, but at the time, it was Nacho’s creation. He was captivated by his own story, telling it with passion, excitement, and wildly vivid color. His hands were flying; he would reach a fever pitch when the artist would finish an object. Watching him tell the tale was akin to watching the protagonist at work, starting with a blank canvas and bringing it to life in exquisite detail.

With Draw Me the Sun, I wanted to capture the childlike wonder and exuberance of the story and of its 7-year-old narrator. The piece starts with a simple, diatonic idea - a blank musical canvas, perhaps - upon which every gesture is built. The music is colorful, fiery, and acrobatic. As I was composing the early versions, it reminded me more and more of the artist drawing the sun: a vivid, glowing orb in which a mélange of intricately woven colors resides. The artist covers the blank canvas in colors warm and cool, delicately intertwining them to reveal the sun - full of

energy, flourish, and life.

Draw Me the Sun is also available for 13-piece percussion orchestra.

Of Stellar Waters

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