The Proving Grounds received its premiere in Nevada with the Clark County School District Honor Guitar Ensemble in 2023. When writing for someone, I feel a connection to their home and what we share together. Unfortunately, the South Pacific and Nevada were both locations chosen by the U.S. Government to conduct nuclear testing. Between 1946 and the early 1990’s close to 1000 nuclear tests were conducted at the two sites combined. The indigenous people of both areas were affected by contamination causing increases in cancer, birth defects, and respiratory illnesses. The Proving Grounds is not meant as a piece of sorrow, but rather one with lots of color and a dream of what could have been.
