Traveler was commissioned by the Chamber Soloists of Austin (Texas) and premiered in April 2003. It is a continuous set of variations in which a boldly-stated, monophonic theme—heard at the opening—essentially travels through a variety of harmonic and textural sound-worlds until it returns home.

Over the course of the composing this seven-minute piece, I began to imagine this theme as a protagonist who, upon being continually thrust into new environments, must adapt by adjusting enough to “fit in” but still maintain identity. The struggle to achieve this is intensified by a sense of a perpetual transition: as one environment is beginning to feel comfortable, another is beginning to assert itself.

−Kevin Puts

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