About This Offer As Executive Producer of The Thompson Fields, you will be prominently credited on the recording you will have so generously helped create. You’re invited to join us at the studio and visit the mixing and mastering as well. You’ll receive a sketch of one of the pieces. Sketches are like babies. I remember the look of the early sketches for almost every piece I’ve written. The conception of an idea is something that stays with you.

I’ll share a few special things that inspired the music on The Thompson Fields. A significant part of my childhood was spent at the beautiful Thompson farm in Windom, Minnesota. The title piece of this album looks to this very special landscape, and to the community and people that are so meaningful to me. In recognition of those who are making this project possible,we’re creating a commemorative marker, that will include your name, on the silo I climbed when I caught the extraordinary view that would inspire The Thompson Fields.

Many people are learning about the magnificent birds of paradise through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Ornithologist, Ed Scholes, together with photographer, Tim Laman, made numerous trips to Papa New Guinea and photographed all thirty-nine species. The variation and behavior of these birds are beyond description, and Ed and Tim’s book is simply stunning.The title of my piece Arbiters of Evolution, comes from when I heard Ed explain how the females of these particular birds, became the arbiters of evolution.

I’ll keep you a part of the unpredictable, but exciting process. It'll be a joy to personally share it all with you. Oh, and the t-shirt. This is a first for us. You’ll be credited on the back. We'll discuss sizes and even style directly with you. We aim to please. A participant like you should get a t-shirt you’ll wear with pride, along with an experience you won’t forget.