Meeting a Mockingbird in Texas

Meeting a Mockingbird in Texas
Composed by Wilfried Westerlinck (2009)
For piccolo solo
Published by Metropolis Music Publishers

For several years I have been working on a series of compositions for wind instruments. This piece was written for Peter Verhoyen, who asked me to compose a new solo-piece for the piccolo.
      When composing this piece, a beautiful memory from the time when I was teaching at Baylor University came to my mind: when I arrived in Dallas, I noticed a mockingbird singing in some bushes. A few days later, the same thing happened on the campus of the university where I was staying. I was surprised by the flexibility, the creativeness and the stunning phantasy which this bird used in his conversation. I couldn't help joining in… 
      The scientific name of my winged friend, the Northern Mockingbird: 'Mimus Polyglottos'…
– Wilfried Westerlinck