Composed as part of my MA Musical Composition portfolio at University of Huddersfield, Saxifraga is a delicate and highly textural work for mixed ensemble, written for the Firebird Ensemble.

Named after the saxifrage flower - known for growing through cracks in stone—the work explores ideas of fragility, resilience and gradual transformation. Inspired by the plant’s ability to emerge from and slowly erode solid surfaces, the music unfolds through finely detailed textures, fragmented gestures and evolving instrumental colours.

Although atonal in language and experimental in approach, the piece places particular emphasis on atmosphere and timbre, seeking to blend the ensemble into a single shifting sound world rather than setting instruments in opposition.