Candlewood

Candlewood (2021) was commissioned by Jeff Siegfried for his album, Shades, which features themes of nature and the supernatural. This piece sits at the intersection of those two concepts by exploring the inherited mythology of Candlewood Lake, one of multiple supposedly haunted lakes in my hometown. Candlewood Lake is manmade, Connecticut Light and Power having seized the town of Jerusalem through eminent domain to be filled with water, turning a large valley into a lake for hydroelectric power to support five surrounding towns. The idea of this underwater town fascinated and terrified me as a child, and the lore of the lake was whispered from child to child as I grew up. Some say if you dive down far enough, you can touch an old church steeple. Some say they never moved the bodies that were in Jerusalem’s cemetery before the valley was flooded, so they’re still down there, ready to float up with just the wrong jostle of a boat motor on the surface. Candlewood musically weaves these tales of the lake, examining how a story transforms over time and how that story might transform us, the ones who inherited it decades ago. Thank you to Jeff Siegfried for his constant support of contemporary music, his friendship, and his extraordinary playing.