Inspired by Alaska’s beautiful yet harsh landscapes, Survival Instincts depicts a twofold existential struggle between humanity and the natural environment.

Meandering, anxious material comprises the outer and developmental sections of the music. The first, instinctual struggle comes to mind: battling frostbite and hypothermia, alone in the wild, seeking refuge amid the unforgiving perils of the Earth’s northern extremes.

Two inner sections open powerfully but continually melt away to nothing—evoking the slow recession of glaciers. The second struggle emerges: the perennial threat of anthropogenic climate change. At times less tangible than the first, it has so far failed to elicit the same survival response. But it looms large in the psyche of my generation, and as its consequences continue to materialize, it becomes increasingly untenable to deny its weight.

Survival Instincts was originally written for alto saxophone but may be performed on any saxophone.