“Driftwood” takes inspiration from Poem on His Birthday by Dylan Thomas. Lahring was 35 years old and reflecting on life and the passage of time when composing this piece.
This sandgrain day in the bent bay's grave
He celebrates and spurns
His driftwood thirty-fifth wind turned age;
Herons spire and spear.
Ben Lahring (b. 1986) is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers. Additionally, he is the classical guitar instructor at Ambrose University. From his formative years spent in tropical northern Australia to a globe-spanning music career, Lahring has always been bold in his musical explorations. As a performer-composer, his album Driftwood was reviewed to high acclaim as "a work of originality and shimmering beauty" (Vivascene) and “one of the most singularly beautiful guitar recitals” (Fanfare Magazine). Lahring counts among his composition teachers Dr. Heva Chan in Sydney, Australia, and Drs. Laurie Radford and Allan Bell in Calgary, Canada.
