Petrichor

Programme Notes

Petrichor is the distinctive earthy scent that arises after rain falls on dry ground. Although I had experienced this phenomenon many times outdoors, I did not know its name until beginning work on this mini song cycle. Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm’s powerful text of the same name uses petrichor as both image and metaphor, guiding us through reflections on the beauty of the natural world and the ways it sustains us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Kateri’s writing is a profound meditation on ancestry, ecological grief, resilience, and enduring love across generations — even in the face of collapse. Grounded in sensory memory, ritual, and quiet yet defiant human connection, the text evokes both fragility and strength, loss and renewal.

In composing this work, I found myself most deeply moved by the idea of love. For me, love serves as the thread that connects all five songs, each of which contains the same recurring “beloved” motif. This musical gesture became a symbol of continuity, remembrance, and human connection woven throughout the cycle. Writing this music ultimately became a deeply spiritual experience, and my hope is that audiences, in encountering this work, will likewise find space for reflection, connection, and a renewed sense of wonder toward the land and our relationship to it.

– Frank Horvat

Commissioned by Music on the Bruce with the financial support of the SOCAN Foundation and private donors.