I was drawn to the artwork of John Hitchens through the work of his father, celebrated British painter Ivon Hitchens. In soliciting permission to reproduce the images of his father's work, I discovered John Hitchens's own, magnificent work. His more recent work has taken on the almost textile quality of an aerial photograph, repeating lines and textures with reddish, warm earth tones, and his "From Sombre Lands" painting inspired a new composition. This began a friendship and correspondence that has lasted years, voyages and visits, which was the inspiration for the string orchestra piece "Grounds." In response to my orchestral rendering of "From Sombre Lands," Hitchens created a new, large painting, visible on his website (johnhitchens.com). In response to this new painting, I composed a new, large work for orchestra; I am hopeful this creative tit for tat will continue for many years.

Featured Works:
- Open-Air: Four Landscapes in Paintings by Ivon Hitchens, for Oboe/English Horn and Violin (2012)
- From Sombre Lands, after paintings by John Hitchens, for Piano/Orchestra (2013)
- Grounds, for String Orchestra (2014)
- Symphonic Poem - From Forgotten Lands, after a painting by John Hitchens (2017)
  • Grounds, for String Orchestra (Live Performance), Peabody Symphony
    Live performance on Feb. 28, 2017 by the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Alan Buxbaum The title of the work, Grounds, touches several different points of reference, some musical, some poetic, some personal. ‘Ground Bass’ forms such as the Passacaglia and the Chaconne feature contrapuntal interaction with recurring or ostinato bass-lines, and in its unfolding Grounds makes use of, or recalls, the ‘Ground Bass’ idea in several places. In a more evocative sense, the pastoral associations of the title suggest a journey through an aural landscape, with particular motivic or gestural figures serving as landmarks, rather than sections of a conventional form, which we may recognize as we pass by a second time or double back.
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    Open-Air: Four Seasons in Landscapes by Ivon Hitchens, for Oboe/English Horn and Violin
    Open-Air: Four Seasons in Landscapes by Ivon Hitchens, for Oboe/English Horn and Violin Premiered on Mar. 19, 2012 in Nashville, TN By Lindsey Reymore and Caroline Hart Inspired by the paintings of British landscape artist Ivon Hitchens, this duet unfolds over the course of four movements, each inspired by a painting of a different season, and each followed by an interlude (and finally a postlude) called Winds, indicating a change of seasons. This piece came together partially as the result of a collaborative project with the Royal Academy of Music. It is dedicated to the participants in this project: Shelby Flowers, David Gorton, Caroline Hart, Midori Komachi, Carly Lake, Chris Redgate, Lindsey Reymore, Michael Alec Rose, Peter Sheppard-Skærved, Michael Slayton, Ruta Vitkauskaite, and Agatha Yim. The friendship I have sustained with the son of Ivon Hitchens, John, began with this work, a friendship that has gone on to inspire large scale works including From Sombre Lands and Grounds.
  • From Sombre Lands, after a painting by John Hitchens, for Orchestra
    I had originally conceived From Sombre Lands (2013) as a work for solo piano. It was requested by a dear friend and fellow composer for a recital which would connect Rachmaninoff’s Etude Tableau in D Minor Op. 33, No. 4 and Chopin’s Nocturne in B Major Op. 62, No. 1 on her program. I turned to the work of British semi-abstract landscape artist John Hitchens for inspiration, as works inspired by or responding to pieces of visual art have figured largely in my creative impetus, and I had already composed a piece based on the paintings ofJohn’s father, Ivon Hitchens, himselfa well-respected modern landscape artist. While the painting was integral in beginning the piano composition, upon completion it seemed that the work had taken a different direction.
  • Grounds, for String Orchestra
    The title of the work, Grounds, touches several different points of reference, some musical, some poetic, some personal. ‘Ground Bass’ forms such as the Passacaglia and the Chaconne feature contrapuntal interaction with recurring or ostinato bass-lines, and in its unfolding Grounds makes use of, or recalls, the ‘Ground Bass’ idea in several places. In a more evocative sense, the pastoral associations of the title suggest a journey through an aural landscape, with particular motivic or gestural figures serving as landmarks, rather than sections of a conventional form, which we may recognize as we pass by a second time or double back.
  • Symphonic Poem - From Forgotten Lands, for Orchestra.pdf
    This work is the latest addition to a growing catalogue of letters, works of music, paintings, and visits that constitute my friendship with the British artist John Hitchens and his wife Rosy. In response to John's large three-panel painting "From Sombre Lands," I composed a piano work, which I then orchestrated. Inspired to this orchestration, John completed a large painting in 2015. This new piece is in response to that latest painting in our chain of creative correspondence. The title comes from what I suppose is a misreading of one of the captions to a photograph of the painting in progress, which John included in a letter to me. It is perfectly fitting, though. Landscapes have been the primary subject of John's career, first in a loose painterly style like his father Ivon Hitchens, and then in a more geometric, abstracted style, with paintings resembling the patterning and texture of aerial photographs of landscapes.