When the Smokies Clear was commissioned by the Rochester HS Wind Ensemble in 1989 and was dedicated to Mr. Thoma by the composer for their mutual interest in camping. In overture form, this piece portrays the picturesque views of the Smokie Mountains as a backdrop to the boisterous town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. From the free formed (aleatoric) percussion intro, the piece leads to an oddmetered first melody that represents Gatlinburg.  After some development, the slow second theme represents the Smokie Mountains with lyrical and soloistic woodwinds backed by some majestic brass (listen for the musical waterfalls). A tense section is created by combining the ideas from the first melody with an Appalachian folk song "Barbara Allen".  A resulting conflict is created from the beauty of nature against the capitalism of a tourist town. This resolves itself into an exciting finish. Mr. Thoma asked me to edit the piece in 2013 to perform with the local college band and the score reflects the changes