Pathways is a series of works for solo instrument and chamber orchestra consisting of a single, fixed orchestral accompaniment through which the featured instrument wends its way. To date, versions for trombone, percussion, and soprano saxophone have been completed. The work is dedicated to my wife, Heidi, and my son, Gabriel.

Each of the solo parts has been composed with the properties and characteristics of the given instrument in mind, and therefore each version of Pathways presents a unique relationship between soloist and ensemble. For the composer, the obvious challenge in such a project is in composing individual solo parts which have no direct influence on or relationship to one another, yet which are organically linked to the single fixed accompaniment.

The conceptual metaphor for Pathways is that of a traveler and his/her unique and personal relationship with the surroundings on any given journey. Though a single road may be taken by several individuals (or by the same individual on different occasions), the various experiences and responses to a particular environment may differ substantially. Such factors as time of day, climate, or the traveler's mood can have a profound effect upon the experience and consequent response of the individual. In the case of this work, the orchestra acts as a sonic landscape through which the soloist (i.e., the traveler) passes. As the solo part is intended to reflect the unique "personality" of a particular featured instrument, these may differ from one another substantially, to the extent that each section within the work as a whole may be directed (and subsequently perceived) in a number of different ways, thus influencing its dynamic unfolding.

The third in the series, Pathways: Interior Shadows was composed for saxophonist Eric Nestler, and was supported in part by a grant from the University of North Texas. This version was first performed on 31 March 1995 at the University of North Texas by Eric Nestler with the composer conducting the NOVA Ensemble. Pathways: Interior Shadows is divided into three main movements, each of which is in turn divided into smaller sections. In this version the saxophone soloist acts as a commentator, mirroring (and elaborating upon) the material presented within the orchestral part. The titles of the three large movements are intended to reflect the various trends of the music: a gradual disintegration in Dissolution, a sense of absence in Elusion, and a coming together in Conflux. The first movement, Dissolution, is in two sections: the first, mercurial tides, is characterized by a constant ebbing and flowing in the solo saxophone part, which in turn creates ripples of increasing intensity throughout the orchestra; in the second section, lattice, the music disintegrates into isolated points, through which the saxophone weaves its restless melody. A cadenza in the saxophone leads into the second movement, Elusion, which is also in two sections. In paroxysm & obsession, a sudden disruption consisting of isorhythmic patterns in brass and percussion influences the course of the melody in the solo saxophone. The second section, epicedium (a loss unknown), is an elegiac response to a tragic incident which occurred during the composition of the solo part. A second saxophone cadenza leads into the third movement, Conflux, which is in three sections. The first, spiral jetty, is named for an earth work created at the Great Salt Lake in Utah in 1970 by American artist Robert Smithson (1938-73), and long since worn away by the effects of nature. The incongruity of this temporary artificial monument elegantly thrust upon its desolate natural surroundings, the process of erosion, and the concept of "jetty" itself are the intended references in this section. In rencontre, the woodwinds and brass are in direct conflict, with the saxophone soloist acting as mediator. Another cadenza in the saxophone leads into tin maelstrom (the title of which is taken from a line in John Ashbery's collection of poems Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror), in which the soloist attempts to pass unscathed through the overwhelming turbulence in the orchestra, only to have the final comment in the subdued coda.

Models used in Pathways are drawn from various natural phenomena such as numerical sequences (which, though ubiquitous, are often overlooked), fractals (recursive structures, as are found in crystals, pinecones, or broccoli flowers), chaotic systems (such as water currents or weather systems), and entropy (the increasing degree of disorder within the physical universe, as demonstrated by the breaking of a glass or by the natural decay of an organism). The following summary should serve to illustrate how these various systems are applied and manifested within Pathways:

The entire work is divided into sections based upon the numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 (prime number series), which recur at multiple levels within the work, including rhythmic patterning, pitch sequences, and even the number and distribution of the orchestra parts (fractal progression). The large-scale sections are then superimposed to create a series of seemingly irregular but symmetrical structural points (palindrome). Each of these overlapping sections is characterized by either a steady or dynamic state (stasis/entropy) in one of five parameters: timbre, texture, volume (i.e., dynamic level), register, and tempo. These sections may interact and develop in either a linear (causal) or non-linear (chaotic) fashion. On the local levels, instrumental lines may either attract or repel one another (magnetic fields) in any number of ways.