There is a quiet stretch of beach situated beneath the Montage Laguna Beach, a resort at which my partner and I stayed towards the beginning of our relationship. Officially known as Treasure Island Beach, I first visited the beach in the early hours of the first full day of our stay, enjoying a bluster of cold sea air and the tranquil roll of the ocean, alone until he woke and join me watch the waves meet the shore.
Quartet Laguna was started in a sudden rush of inspiration at the 2025 Meg Quigley Symposium after a brief conversation with bassoonist Shannon Lowe, who had told me about her ongoing project to expand the repertoire of works for bassoon and strings. Upon realizing that the instrumentation she had described was a dream of mine to write for, I sat at the bar, writing its opening notes by hand while dressed a tyrannosaurus rex. Throughout the remainder of the conference, I composed several minutes of the work, completing the work later in when I returned to San Diego.
Dedicated to Shannon Lowe, Quartet Laguna immerses its listeners in the quiet, overcast moments of ocean before breakfast, a peaceful moment of green moss upon weathered stone and gentle waves tickling bare feet.