Path to Serenity

Path to Serenity is a very special piece from my album, The Human Element. It is a reworked version of a piece by the same name that I wrote when I was thirteen years old. Back then, I didn’t intend to add tuba to the piece, but I did start having ideas about trying to combine my tuba and guitar/bass skills in some kind of project. This piece is slightly less programmatic than many of the other works on The Human Element. In the context of the album, it is a loose meditation on our current state of affairs re: conservationism. The piece begins with tranquil, melodic playing in the tuba, accompanied by gentle dyads in the bass guitar. This music, combined with the melodic figures which come later on, aim to depict a general spirit of progress. The “serenity” in the title essentially refers to a future Earth which we have healed and live in harmony with once again. On a personal note, this piece is also a tribute to my grandmother, Katherine Zegiel. A few days before I went into the studio to record the tuba solo parts for The Human Element, she passed away after battling various ailments in her old age. Those recording sessions were made doubly difficult by this loss, and I could not stop thinking about her while recording Path to Serenity. It just seemed like a piece of music she would enjoy and appreciate, as she was a talented musician herself with a beautiful singing voice. In fact, much of my extended family on that side is musical in some way, which is where I believe I got it. I know that Grandma Katherine is in a serene place now. Were she still around to hear performances of this piece, I believe she would be proud of the work we tuba players have done to elevate the instrument. Let’s keep it going!