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ProgramNote
Living inArizonameansdevelopinganactiveawarenessof howheatshapesourdailylives. InPhoenix, theaveragedailytemperatureinJuly(the hottestmonthof theyear) hoversaround 95.5°F (35.3°C),withrecord highsreaching 122°F (50°C).TheaveragedailymaximuminJulyis106.5°F (41.4°C), making heatnotjustaconditionbutaconstantpresence.
Whatweoftenoverlook, however,aretheresidentswholackaccesstoreliabletransportation. Spanningover1,100squaremiles, thePhoenix metropolitanareaisoneof thelargestexamplesof urbansprawl intheUnited States.WhileValleyMetroprovidestransitacrossmuchof this region,weekdayridershipaveragesonlyabout126,700orroughly3.5%of thepopulation. Limitedroutecoverage, infrequentservice(withmany busesarrivingonlyevery20 minutes),and theunbearablenatureof waiting in110°F (43°C) heatcontributetothislowusage.
Theresultisadisproportionateburdenonlower-incomeindividuals, manyof whomrelyontheselimited transitsystemsforwork,education, andaccesstobasicneeds. HeatIndexisindialoguewiththeeffortsof Arizonabased landscapearchitectsandurbanplannerswhoareworking tomitigatethisharmthroughthestrategicuseof shade, trees,and thoughtfulredesignof publicinfrastructure.Theworkreflectsboththe oppressiveweightof thedesertheatand thehumanresiliencerequired tomovethroughit.
Source US Departmentof Commerce, NOAA. “Climate.” NationalWeatherService, December16, 2024. https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=psr.
AmericanPublicTransportationAssociation. “TransitRidershipReportThird Quarter2024” https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-Q3-Ridership-APTA.pdf
Instrumentation
ClarinetinBb 1
ClarinetinBb 2
ClarinetinBb 3
BassClarinet
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CommissionedbyFreakwoodClarinetQuartet
Duration: 10'
Firstprintingof thisedition, November2025
forclarinetquartet
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