instrumentation: solo piano
duration: 2 minutes
written for the In Good Hands 2026 concert, organized by Cascadia Composers
premiere: July 18, 2026 – Portland, OR (Lincoln Recital Hall @ Portland State University)

Download the sheet music for free:
The Shrine at Twilight – Letter size (8.5 x 11)
The Shrine at Twilight – 9 x 12

In Good Hands is an annual concert in Portland and Eugene organized by Cascadia Composers to connect composers with local music students and their teachers. Composers can either submit pre-written scores to a pool of music available to be played in the concert, or they can opt to meet with a student and write a unique piece just for them. If the latter, the composer, teacher, and student will meet up so the composer can get a sense of where the student is, both as a growing musician and a growing human being, and put that into the music.

For the 2026 concert, I met with a piano student who goes by the name of Yoshi, age 9. Ambitious, restless to play and create, Yoshi had many ideas for this piece that all fit together into one clear concept. He wanted something driving, with staccato passages and accents. Like me, he’s into video game soundtracks, and he listed some of his favorites, like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Super Mario Odyssey – games where you wander vast landscapes and tackle challenges of increasing difficulty. He was looking for something energetic, with a sense of motion and progress. He wanted an adventure.

As you can see in the video, he put a lot of effort into it and did a great job – I’m really happy with the result

The Shrine at Twilight is not based on any particular adventure. Rather, it’s meant to feel like the soundtrack for any number of adventures, whatever your imagination renders when listening.

I wrote a little story to serve as an example of what kind of shape that journey might take. I sent it to Yoshi while he was working on the piece. He drew a picture in response, adding yet another layer to the collaboration. Here’s the picture and the story:

Perhaps you’re on a mountaintop, under a fiery sunset, looking for a legendary treasure. Among some ruins, carved into the side of a cliff, you find an ancient stone door, sealed shut. You search for a knob or a handle, and find nothing.

Suddenly, you feel something brush against your leg – it’s a cat you found on the side of the road, many miles and hours ago. Back there, you gave it the last of your food, unsure if it could even eat, and continued on your way. Here on the mountaintop, the same cat purrs and pads ahead of you. It plops down onto a small pedestal, eyes closing serenely. You approach, and it vanishes into the maze of crumbling bricks.

Where you just saw a cat, now you see a strange, round symbol carved in the stone. Your heart beats as you press this symbol. It sinks deep into the stone, and the ancient door slowly grinds open behind you, revealing a passage into deeper darkness…