Blue Hour

About Blue Hour

The blue hour is the short period of time after sunset when the last glow of the sun is still visible as stars begin to appear.

The Joffrey Workshop, a dance academy founded by Robert Joffrey in 1978, commissioned a piece from choreographer Katie Cooper and me to commemorate their 40th anniversary season.

Strangely, the title helped drive the direction of the piece. As soon as I came across the phrase “blue hour” in an astronomy calendar in my kitchen I knew it was a perfect match, as the workshop features a pre-professional training program for young dancers who are beginning to shine.

A couple of years later I saw violinist Mary Kothman on Twitter looking for pieces with double bass. I sent her the video of the Joffrey premiere and she requested the score for her ensemble at Western Michigan University, Birds on a Wire. I’d always thought the low end of the piece could use some more oomph, and the piano part could be made easier, so we decided to add a cello. The premiere of the quintet version will be given at Western Michigan University in December of 2022.