Program Notes, from the composer:

I had already wanted to compose a piece in memory of the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting when Diane Frank inspired me with her poem, "Tree of Life." We discussed ideas and got to work. She wrote the poem as a prayer for her friend, Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, to grieve the tragedy in Pittsburgh and to honor his memory. The piece begins with the poem, followed by the main theme played by the clarinet. Each variation evokes aspects of the poem and has titles reflecting that. Scales, rhythms and techniques found in klezmer music are incorporated throughout the piece.

Variation six, "shattering souls," evokes the horror of the tragedy, and is the hardest thing I've ever had to compose. A chaos of sound swirls in the strings, and eleven solitary forte chords, one for each of the lives taken, are spaced throughout the variation. It ends with the sound of sirens in the horn and clarinet. The variations that follow seek to heal the wounds of the tragedy through faith (mourner's Kaddish) played on the cello, nature (the forest) and community (dancing, art). Death and hate do not have the final word. "Tree of Life" ends with joyous music that, in Diane's words, "shines a light into the dark world."

A note about evolution: this is an early recording. Since then, Variations 9-10-11-coda have been replaced with a choral finale instead.

A note about this recording:

Ner Shalom invited us to play their wonderful Steinway "Holocaust survivor" piano. It's hard to imagine a more generous gesture or a more fitting location.

While at the University of Michigan, Roy Zajac studied in Vienna, Austria with Peter Schmidle, the Principal Clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic. After graduating, Roy was selected to be a member of the Filharmoni del Bajio orchestra in Guanajuato, Mexico. Roy then earned a Master's degree at the University of Minnesota in Music Performance, where he studied with Burt Hara.

Roy joined the Air Force and was selected to be a member of the United States Air Force, Band of the Golden West, at Travis Air Force Base. In 1998, Roy was chosen as the Principal Clarinetist of the Santa Rosa Symphony, under the direction of Jeffery Kahane. In February of 2013, Roy performed the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony, under the direction of Maestro Bruno Farrandis, in the newly constructed Green Music Center.

Roy instructs and coaches clarinet, woodwinds, and wind ensembles at Sonoma State University. He also teaches and coaches for the Santa Rosa Symphony youth orchestras, Santa Rosa Junior College, and for other schools and ensembles.

Violinist Tammie Dyer holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University, an M.M. from Rice University, and a B.M. From the University of Utah. She has studied with many of the great artists of our time, including Philip Setzer, Dorothy DeLay, Pamela Frank, Soovin Kim, Kathleen Winkler, members of the Cleveland String Quartet, and the Emerson String Quartet. She has also attended the Tanglewood, Aspen, Sarasota, Eastern, and Marrowstone music festivals.

Tammie enjoys playing a variety of musical styles, and is passionate about sharing the transformative experience of live music. As an active chamber musician, Tammie performs regularly throughout the Bay Area, with such groups as the Hidden Valley String Orchestra in Carmel, on the Opus Series in Mendocino, and the Bellarosa String Quartet. Other groups include the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra, and Symphony of the Redwoods.

Huge appreciation to Michael Demeyer for recording.