Sitting on the Clouds

Intro: Clouds, Birds, and the Old Lady

Through Her Eyes

Interlude 1: Dusk

Dancing Through the Night

Interlude 2: All the Birds

The Dark Clouds

Magica Kingdom

Interlude 3: Rain Dance

Through the Moon

Interlude 4: Dawn

Sitting on the Clouds

Sitting on the Clouds is a twelve-minute musical reflection inspired by migratory birds along Houston’s Central Flyway. From July to November, flocks trace the Texas coastline—a natural journey echoed in the piece’s drift across memory, nature, and dream. Rich with bird sonorities, the music goes beyond simple birdsong, creating a space where humans and birds coexist in harmony. It offers brief moments of quiet reflection, echoing the natural rhythms so often lost in modern life.

Structured as a series of short movements and interludes, the piece opens with Clouds, Birds, and the Old Lady and Through Her Eyes, where we observe birds as she sees them—intimate, reflective, and filled with wonder. As time progresses through Dusk, Dancing Through the Night, and All the Birds, tension grows in The Dark Clouds, before yielding to the surreal glow of Magica Kingdom. A meditative Rain Dance leads to Through the Moon, where birds cut across the moonlit sky. After Dawn, the journey ends in Sitting on the Clouds—a quiet merging of memory, music, and sky.

Sitting on the Clouds is written for the Formosa Quartet with the support of the Houston Arts Alliance