I had the pleasure of visiting the Los Angeles area for the first time in June 2025 as part of the Salastina Composer Collective, where I met many of the musicians who would later bring this piece to life. During that same trip, I took the opportunity to visit Channel Islands National Park, continuing my habit of seeking out America’s national parks whenever possible.

The boat ride to East Anacapa Island—my first on the Pacific—was foggy and choppy. Oil rigs emerged sporadically from the thick haze and disappeared just as quickly, while dolphins slipped in and out of view just beneath the surface. Once on the island, at the aptly named Inspiration Point, the perspective changed: the same waters appeared at once more forceful and more calm—waves crashing into the cliffs below, while farther from shore, the sea I knew to be turbulent now looked glassy. Even the island itself, towering above the water and giving the impression from below of a fixed monument, was alive with motion at the top during gull nesting season.

While Currents is not explicitly programmatic, it is shaped by these layered impressions of motion and perspective. The three movements, Froth, Tide, and Roil, suggest different states of energy rather than fixed images.

The title also reflects a more personal idea: like the ocean, there are currents in life. Whether strong and tumultuous or nearly imperceptible, our lives are always in motion, often in ways we only come to understand in retrospect. When I first visited Los Angeles, I never imagined I would return so soon, working with Salastina once more. For their friendship, mentorship, and this commission, they have my deepest gratitude.

— Nicholas Edwards