Behind the scenes of the "Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto"

Even though San Diego, California is almost 2,000 miles away from Decorah, on Friday night they will be united.  At 7:00 p.m. PDT Friday, Palomar Symphony Orchestra conductor Ellen Weller will step up onto the podium and begin a concert that includes the premiere of "The Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto."

The composer of the concerto--Palomar College music professor and composer Madelyn Byrne--tells decorahnews.com that the symphony's concertmaster, Ulli Reiner, approached her about writing a new piece of music that had nature as its inspiration.

Reiner then introduced Byrne to the live webcam operated by Raptor Resource Project that shows the Decorah bald eagles.  She was hooked.  She started watching the eaglecam when the bald eagles were repairing their nest.  "I was amazed by how intelligently they worked," she says, adding, "I was really impressed."

So she began writing what she terms "an unusual concerto."  Unlike most concertos, it is in one movement, not three.  However, it has four sections, each representing one of the seasons--fall, winter, spring and summer.

The winter section is highlighted by a fierce blizzard.  Byrne tells decorahnews.com she didn't have to look for inspiration.  Early last spring she left San Diego for Sioux City, Iowa and a program at Morningside College.  Her first day in Iowa was a beautiful spring day when she wore a t-shirt and took a long walk.  Her second day?  Not so much!  Byrne says a "wild storm" blew into Iowa and she spent the second day of her visit in a hotel room in Sioux City, writing the winter section of the concerto.

Now the entire concerto is finished and ready to be premiered Friday night.  A multimedia show of Decorah bald eagle photos and videos will be shown during the performance.

"It's one of the best pieces for orchestra I've heard in a long time," conductor Ellen Weller told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

But don't take her word for it.  You can hear a MIDI file of the composition by clicking on https://soundcloud.com/madelyn-byrne/eagle-cto-conversion

A recording of the Palomar College Orchestra's performance of the piece will be posted in June on the Palomar College website.  Maybe some day the "Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto" can be performed in Decorah, as well!