"Water of Leith is a piece based on a place I travelled to in Edinburgh, Scotland. Only a 15-minute walk out of Edinburgh, New Town and you find this stunner of a place called Dean Village. It looks like something you would find in Harry Potter. Starting with some beautiful bridges that cross the water of Leith and walking past old historical houses. It was hauntingly beautiful as I walked through this rich history. Along the walk, I came across an otter playing in the water. This represents the quickened pace of the middle of the piece. As I walked along, now near Stockbridge, I came back to the beauty of the place with a statue under a pagoda. I don’t know what is next or what to expect. Now under a viaduct, sounds are different here. This is represented by the dynamics near the end of the piece. Right at the end of this walk, I see a beautiful building with tall pillars in the distance and then it comes to the end of the Water of Leith."

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When I started writing this piece, I didn't have this particular place in mind but just as all the notation was written, I had to think of a title. My usual process is to listen and see what feelings come up. This time, it wasn't a feeling, it was a reminder of a place which in the title, 'Water of Leith' near Edinburgh, Scotland. As I listened to it again, I realised that each section replicated the same experience I had as I was on the walk. This makes it a very personal piece to my mum and I. 

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This piece was a true collaboration between the player and composer. I wrote the first version and Elana had a look at it, sent me recordings of it and then suggestions for change. A lot of it had to do with the register, so I moved down a lot of notes. Elana worked with her Eb Clarinet Teacher and Phillip Everall. 

From the workshop, I changed the time signature from 6/8 to 6/4, which made more sense with how it was paced. I added slurs to the grace notes and added a change of speed in the major section of the piece.

Originally, I wanted the clarinet to play a C4 to C6 in the last bar but the range was just out a touch so I changed it to a C4 to C3. 

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'Water of Leith' has been recorded in the studio and is in the process of being mixed.