Angela Slater’s percussion & harp concerto “Mountains Become Oceans” is an innovative and exciting commentary on climate change. Premiered with the Amarillo Symphony in spring 2025, the piece challenges the performers with intricately interwoven lines and wild but tasteful extended techniques. Slater’s masterful orchestration encompasses everything from bombastic brass fanfares to delicately transparent string harmonics, taking the listeners on a journey from the peaks of a mountain range through a tumultuous avalanche until the composition concludes in the rippling beauty of the ocean.

During the session, soloists Weaver & Moore will perform selections from the 4-movement concerto highlighting various extended techniques and uniquely orchestrated sounds, with commentary by Slater. A panel discussion will follow, in which performers & composer share the collaborative process Slater utilized to bring out both the personalities/special talents of the performers as well as her depiction of climate change through the concerto (ex. soloist’s waterphone is empty to start the piece, but full at the end after the polar ice caps melt in the “Avalanche” movement). The three artists will share the challenges and strategies they used to collaborate on the project from three different countries, including numerous Zoom reading sessions, shared recordings of drafts, and even a rendezvous in Aspen to workshop the highly gymnastic percussion writing.