This beautiful yet simple ballad evokes the images of a clear night sky and its humbling grandeur. While all individual parts are quite playable, the work uses interesting harmonies and careful orchestration to make your group shine. A great way to develop musicality, and a gem that surely belongs on your next concert. (2:36) "On a crisp, cold night in December, she gazes upward and stands in awe of the heavens. She realizes that the earth is only a tiny part of something greater. This scenario provides the backdrop for this composition, which was inspired by the night sky as viewed by my six-year-old from our home in Louisiana. It begins with the theme in the clarinets. The rest of the ensemle gradually reveals itself, as if one discovers a star not previously noticed in the sky. The music reaches its climax at measure 34, where we are humbled by the sheer multitude of stars in the sky and realize our place in the universe. The piece ends with twinkling stars portrayed in the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bells.