program notes by composition > h > Heart on Fire
Heart on Fire
Viet Cuong
Inspired by Mary Oliver's poem Walking to Oak-Head Pond, and Thinking of the Ponds I Will Visit in the Next Days and Weeks, composer Viet Cuong has written Heart on Fire about hope in the face of hardship and living every day to the fullest. The piece was commissioned by the Western and Northwestern divisions of the College Band Directors National Association, and premiered at the CBDNA Western/Northwestern Conference in 2022.