I was first introduced to Dale Chihuly's work in blown glass by Dorothea Adaskin, wife of Murray Adaskin, with whom I studied composition as a teenager. I gradually came to know Chihuly's work through a few small pieces, later from photographs of larger pieces and the incredible sets he designed for the Seattle Opera production of Pelléas et Mélisande.

This Spring I attended a marvellous exhibit of his work at the Diane Farris Gallery. Soon after, I visited and revisited his installation at the corner of Bute and West Georgia. The piece is perfectly situated, delighting with form and colour on a grey Vancouver morning, sparkling on a sunny day, glowing seductively at night in its illuminated case. For me, it is an example of public art at its finest, deeply personal, yet made for public pleasure.

Still Light (Fanfare for Chihuly) was written with the experience of his work in mind. In it , I tried to make a piece of public art, a kind of Concert Overture that captures something of the waves of movement, quick transformations, colour and light  that pervade his work. These are intangible thought concerning two nearly intangible art forms. Music, like blown glass, cannot be touched while it is being made.