May 2022 (for strings orchestra and ocarina)

for Mr. D & the Siwanoy Sinfonietta

“Bald Eagle...is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly...[he] is too lazy to fish for himself. [While a turkey is] a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America...He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage.” - Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin’s letter to his daughter reveals his criticism of the original eagle design for the Great Seal, saying that it looked more like a turkey. So what if the turkey was our National Bird?

Performed by the Siwanoy Sinfonietta at the Tuckahoe Strings “American Voices” Concert 2022.