Dear Mr. Taylor,
I wanted to say thank you for your thoughtful letters and handling of this difficult situation. I am very disappointed that the school year had to end like this and was really looking forward to a great spring at T-P; however, I do understand that this is a very serious, and no doubt unique, situation for you and the School. I am thankful for my time at T-P and all the amazing friends and connections I made in these two years — both with fellow students and faculty members.
I really enjoyed being able to share some of my music at T-P and while I regret that I will not be able to perform any of my music at T-P again, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of my most recent works with you. I was lucky to meet with alum Gedney Webb ’86 for the SIP with Distinction Program. We had a great, lengthy conversation about music and he gave me some valuable advice about software instruments and writing orchestral music, which I have started to dive into these last two weeks while in quarantine. The two pieces I have attached to this email are the result of this new knowledge.
The first one, entitled Sunrise, is inspired by the amazing sunrises at T-P. I’ve always enjoyed the walk from Cluett down to the dining hall with the sun getting up behind me. This year I was on the other side of the building, so I could enjoy the sunsets after dinner in the fall. I might have to write a piece about that as well. The second piece is called Uncertain Times. It reflects my thoughts and feelings during this time of uncertainty. Writing this music has helped me calm down when I was really nervous or anxious about not knowing what news the next day might bring. I thought it might help some people on campus as well.
I have not shared these pieces with Mr. Templeton yet. In case he is on campus at the moment, maybe you could share them with him with greetings from me.
Once again, thank you for everything these last two years. I’m looking forward to a new experience this Spring Term and hopefully seeing you soon for graduation!
Sincerely,
Sam Fechner ’20