Steam pistons: Heavy, thrumming cylinders, corralling blasts of hot air and vapor as valves alternately seal and discharge, moving with precision and relentless regularity, yet powering sublime dreams and the most noble of mankind’s creations. Are we speaking of the dawning of the industrial age, of the most storied of locomotives, or of today’s lowest flutes?

Composed for the Third International Low Flute Festival Contra Jam
Chris Potter, Program Chair